MIDSHIPMAN   BOB, 


.  BY 


E.    L.    DORSEY. 


REPRINTED    FROM    THE    "AVE    MARIA. 


"AVE    MARIA"    OFFICE: 

NOTRE  DAME,  IND. 


COPYRIGHTED,  1886. 
BY    D.     E.     HUDSON. 


DEDICATION. 

TO   BOYS   IN  GENERAL,   BUT  PARTICULARLY 

TO  THOSE  WHO   ARE  PLUCKILY 
FIGHTING  THEIR  WAY  AGAINST  THE  WORLD,   THE  FLESH 

AND  THE  DEVIL, 
TOWARDS  A  MANHOOD  WORTHY  OF  THEIR   FAITH, 

THEIR   COUNTRY   AND    THEMSELVES, 
THIS  VOLUME   IS  CORDIALLY   DEDICATED. 


2229055 


PART  I. 


I. 


WE  were  at  our  wits'  end.  Bob,  the  only 
grandson  in  the  family,  had  been  East  to 
visit  our  oldest  brother,  and  had  come  home 
wild  about  the  sea.  He  dreamed  of  it,  he 
talked  of  it  ;  he  devoured  Cooper,  Marryatt, 
and  Mayne  Keid  ;  he  routed  in  junk-shops, 
until  his  room  was  an  armory  of  old  swords, 
cutlasses,  and  pistols  ;  he  bought  prints  of 
ships  at  every  possible  angle  of  sailing,  and 
his  portfolio  was  bursting  with  pictures  of 
sea-fights. 

But  this  was  simply  the  prelude  to  our 
woe.  He  declared  he  was  going  to  be  a 
sailor,  and  the  only  thing  that  kept  him 
from  rushing  off  immediately  was  that  he 
could  not  make  up  his  mind  whether  to  ship 
5 


6  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

aboard  a  whaler  and  go  to  the  frozen  North, 
or  a  fruit-vessel  bound  for  the  tropics,  or 
(and  this  was  his  favorite)  to  go  out  to 
China  to  fight  pirates! 

We  argued,  we  pleaded,  we  begged,  we  im- 
plored; but  the  louder  our  eloquence  waxed 
the  more  his  brown  eyes  would  flash,  his 
chin  square  itself,  and  his  very  curls  look 
rebellious.  Not  that  he  said  much:  he  was 
too  good  a  boy  for  that ;  but  we  could  get  no 
promise  from  him,  nor  could  we  persuade 
him  to  give  up  the  project. 

In  the  midst  of  our  perplexity  we  made 
our  usual  summer  move  to  our  country  home, 
which  was  so  far  removed  from  the  city 
that  we  heard  Mass  only  when  Father 
McDonald  could  be  spared  from  his 
small  parish  church  at  Shrewsbury,  or  his 
chapel  at  Whitfield,  or  his  mission  at  Town- 
ley.  Whenever  he  came,  there  was  great 
rejoicing ;  and,  as  we  always  had  the  pleasure 
of  entertaining  him,  we  would  notify  the 
Catholic  neighbors  the  day  before  "Lsetare 
Sunday"  (as  we  called  our  Mass-day),  and 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  7 

quite  a  little  congregation  would  assemble 
to  assist  at  the  Holy  Sacrifice  and  go  to 
confession  and  Holy  Communion. 

We  heard  the  priest  was  due  the  Sunday 
after  our  arrival;  and,  as  he  was  a  prime 
favorite  of  Bob's,  we  determined  to  lay 
our  trouble  before  him.  Imagine,  then,  our 
disappointment  when  a  strange  priest  pre- 
sented himself,  saying  Father  McDonald 
was  ill,  and  had  asked  him  to  take  his  place. 
He  was  a  square-shouldered  man,  with  blue 
eyes,  a  bronzed  face,  and  an  indescribable 
something  in  his  walk  that  suggested  the 
open  air  (and  plenty  of  it)  and  military 
training.  His  manner  was  simple  and  di- 
rect, and  as  one  after  the  other  of  us  went 
to  confession,  we  were  so  impressed  by  his 
sturdy  common  sense  that  we  concluded  to 
talk  to  him  about  Bob  as  frankly  as  we 
would  have  done  to  Father  McDonald. 

At  breakfast,  the  favorable  impression  was 
.deepened;  and,  better  still,  he  won  our  boy 
by  a  hearty  answer,  and  an  interested  dis- 
cussion about  lacrosse;  so  much  so,  that 


8  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

after  we  had  finished  our  meal  he  invited 
"Father  Jerome"  (as  he  bade  us  call  him) 
to  go  up  to  his  "cabin"  (otherwise  bed- 
room) and  see  his  "  collection."  Always 
polite,  the  dear  boy  turned  to  his  mother 
and  myself  and  asked  us  to  go  too ;  she  ex- 
cused herself,  but  I  thanked  him  and  went, 
thinking  it  a  good  opportunity  to  approach 
the  subject  nearest  our  hearts. 

As  we  entered,  the  priest  said,  in  a  hearty 
voice:  "Why,  this  is  famous!  Did  you  do 
it  all  yourself  !  " 

"Yes,  Father,"  said  Bob,  flushing  with 
pride. 

"  I  haven't  seen  such  a  neat  cabin  since  I 
was  aboard  the  old  Cumberland.'1'1 

"  The  Cumberland! "  cried  Bob,  eager, 
breathless. 

"Yes:  I  was  aboard  of  her  when  she 
went  down." 

"Oh,  were  you — were  you?  Sit  down 
here  on  this  locker,  please,  and  tell  me  about 
it " ;  and  he  grasped  Father  Jerome's  arm, 
literally  gasping  with  excitement. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  9 

"  But,  my  lad,  it's  a  long  yarn,  and  I 
must  not  trespass  on  the  time  of  your  moth- 
er and  aunt." 

"  Father,"  I  answered,  honestly  enough 
(although  my  heart  sank  a  trifle  at  the 
rather  inauspicious  beginning),  "the  longer 
you  can  stay,  the  happier  we  shall  be;  and 
if  you  will  spare  time  to  tell  our  boy  the 
story,  we  will  all  feel  obliged  to  you  for 
your  kindness." 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  and  without  more 
ado  he  seated  himself  on  the  locker,  and, 
after  several  keen  glances  at  the  eager  boy, 
the  room  and  its  decorations,  and  my  anxious 
face,  he  began: 

"  When  I  was  about  fourteen  years  old  I 
was  wild  to  go  to  sea.  My  father  was  dead, 
and  my  mother  and  brothers  lived  on  a  little 
farm  in  Northern  Ohio.  We  worked  hard 
and  lived  simply,  for  we  were  very  poor,  and 
I  soon  got  tired  of  it;  and,  after  making  my 
mother  miserable,  and  my  brothers  angry,  I 
ran  off  in  the  middle  of  the  harvest,  to  work 
and  tramp  my  way  to  New  York.  All  the 


10  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

way  on  the  road  the  sad  face  of  my  mother, 
with  its  lines  of  care  and  eyes  full  of  tears, 
was  before  me ;  her  brown  hands,  that  were 
hard  with  labor,  and  yet  so  tender,  seemed 
to  be  drawing  me  back  at  every  step;  but  I 
hardened  my  heart,  and  went  ahead  dog- 
gedly, declaring  I  wouldn't  go  back,  and  I 
wouldn't  write  until  I  had  done  something 
famous;  and  then  I  slipped  off  into  dreams 
of  glory  and  gunpowder. 

"  The  war  had  broken  out  the  spring  be- 
fore, and  the  villages  on  the  road  were  full 
of  soldiers,  drilling,  marching,  hurrahing-, 
and  sometimes  I  almost  thought  I'd  like  to 
go  into  the  army,  but  a  little  reflection  would 
leave  me  as  sea-mad  as  ever. 

"I  got  into  New  York,  dirty,  hungry,  and 
almost  stunned  by  the  noises  and  the  rush 
of  the  crowd.  I  clung  to  the  railings  near 
Union  Square,  sick  and  disheartened.  The 
stream  went  by,  and  I  stared  stupidly  at  it, 
until  rolling  down  the  street,  with  a  genuine 
sea- walk,  came  an  old  sailor,  togged  out  in 
a  new  suit  of  blue  and  white,  with  his  hat 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  H 

balanced  on  the  back  of  his  head  at  a  most 
surprising  angle.  I  let  go  my  hold  and 
rushed  up  to  him,  and  gave  his  sleeve  a 
stout  tug. 

"'Ahoy!'  he  shouted.  'What  have  we 
here ! ' 

"  '  Oh,  please,  sir! '  I  gasped. 

"  '  What  d'ye  want,  my  lad?  Speak  out! ' 
And  he  stopped,  and  gave  his  trowsers  a 
hitch,  and  shifted  his  quid  of  tobacco,  just 
as  the  sailors  in  stories  always  do;  but 
somehow  in  real  life  it  scared  me,  and  I 
only  stared  at  him.  I  suppose  I  looked 
miserable  enough,  for  he  patted  me  on  the 
shoulder,  and  said: 

' ' '  Cheer  up,  and  take  yer  time.  Hungry  ?  ' 

"  I  shook  my  head. 

"'Lost?' 

"  This  time  I  glared,  for  he  was  treating 
me  like  a  child.  My  temper  braced  me 
up  and  steadied  me,  so  I  said,  pretty 
stoutly: 

"  '  I  want,  please,  sir,  to  find  the  ships. 
I  want  to  be  a  sailor.' 


12  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"'Bless  my  stars!  Why,  yer  nawthin' 
but  a  baby ! ' 

'"I  ain't,  either!  I'm  fourteen  years  old.' 

"  '  What  does  your  ma  say  to  it? ' 

"  I  sulked. 

"'Bun  away,  hey?  Thought  so.  Well, 
the  bes'  thing  you  kin  do,  youngster,  is  to 
toddle  straight  home  agin.' 

"  My  heart  swelled,  but  I  proudly  choked 
back  my  tears. 

"  '  It's  too  far.  Besides,  I'm  going  to  be 
a  sailor,  if  the  stars  fall  ! '  For  I  was  a 
self-willed  lad.  And  he  sighed. 

"The  sailor  shifted  his  quid  again,  and 
his  eyes  twinkled  as  he  said  : 

" '  Wall,  'course  we  all  want  the  stars  to 
stay  aloft.  It  'ud  be  a  bad  lookout  for  sail- 
ors ef  they  fell.  B'lieve,  too,  the  master- 
at-arms  does  want  a  extry  powder-monkey. 
Come  along  ! ' 

"  And  he  went  yawing  and  tacking  down 
the  street,  I  paddling  after  as  fast  as  I  could 
go.  We  got  to  the  docks,  where  he  hail<nl 
a  small  boat,  and  pulled  out  into  the  stream. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  13 

"  '  Couldn't  I  wash  some  place,  and  get 
into  some  clean  clothes,  sir,  before  I  go  on 
the  ship  ? '  I  asked,  anxiously. 

" '  Eight  ! '  he  growled,  in  a  deep,  bass 
voice,  and  nodded  his  head  approvingly. 
'Hop  overboard  here  and  I'll  make  shift 
somehow  to  rig  you  when  you  come  aboard.' 

"I  was  a  little  startled  at  the  thought  of 
plunging  into  the  great  river,  with  its 
freight  of  steamers,  rafts,  and  crafts  of  all 
sizes  ;  but  I  wasn't  going  to  show  it,  and  I 
took  a  header  off  the  bow.  After  I  had 
swam  about  for  five  minutes  or  so,  he  sang 
out  for  me  to  come  aboard,  and  hauled  me 
over  the  side,  dripping.  Then  he  opened 
my  little  bundle,  and  helped  me  into  dry, 
clean  clothes.  The  others  were  too  ragged 
to  keep,  so  we  left  them  in  the  boat  ;  and  I 
was  very  glad  to  be  clean  and  whole,  I  can 
tell  you,  when  I  stepped  over  the  side  of 
the  big  ship,  and  saw  her  white  decks  and 
shining  brass- work. 

"  An  officer  was  walking  up  and  down. 
My  old  friend  raised  his  hand  to  his  fore- 


14  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

head,  palm  out  ;  the  officer  touched  his  glit- 
tering cap. 

" '  Brought  this  here  boy  aboard,  sir. 
Wants  to  enlist,  and  master-at-arms  wants 
a'other  powder-monkey  in  place  o'  Reynolds. 

" '  Very  well,'  said  the  officer.  Then, 
looking  sharply  at  me,  he  continued:  '  I  hope 
he's  not  tarred  with  the  same  brush  ? ' 

"  '  I  think  not,  sir.  He  seems  honest,  and 
knows  how  to  obey.' 

'  What  a  pang  that  gave  me  !  '  Knows 
how  to  obey  ! '  I  hung  my  head  for  shame  ; 
though  the  officer  thought  it  was  shyness, 
and  said  kindly  :  '  Go  below  and  get  rigged.' 

"  Next  day  I  began  to  learn  my  duties  ; 
and  the  first  lesson  I  had  was  that  everybody 
had  a  right  to  order  me  about.  Hardy, 
the  old  gunner  who  picked  me  up,  had 
given  me  one  piece  of  advice,  which  he  said 
would  cover  everything.  It  was  :  '  Obey 
whatever  order  is  given  you.  It's  better  to 
make  forty  mistakes  by  minding,  than  one 
by  disobeying.'  So  I  sprang  about  actively, 
doing  my  best;  got  into  no  serious  scrapes, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  15 

and  felt  it  was  a  grand  thing  to  be  in  the 
Navy. 

"  The  winter  passed  quietly  enough,  but 
the  last  of  February  orders  came  for  a  draft 
of  men  to  be  sent  to  the  IT.  S.  S.  Cumber- 
land, Hardy  managed  it  so  that  I  went 
with  him  ;  and  for  the  first  few  hours  after 
we  sailed  for  Fort  Monroe  I  dreamed  wild 
dreams  of  fame.  But  a  brisk  gale  blew  up, 
there  was  a  nasty  sea  on,  and  I  soon  lay 
groaning  in  the  agonies  of  sea-sickness.  I 
thought  I  was  going  to  die,  and  how  I 
wished  for  home  and  mother  ! 

"  There  were  two  or  three  boys  forward  as 
sick  as  I,  but  the  others  were  full  of  tricks 
that  seemed  impish.  A  favorite  one  was  to 
dangle  a  bit  of  fat  pork  by  a  string  before 
our  eyes,  and  to  couple  it  with  suggestions 
that  made  us  writhe  with  nausea.  Then, 
too,  we  had  to  be  about  on  duty. 

"  I  declare,"  said  Father  Jerome,  "  I  feel 
sorry  for  myself  even  now  when  I  think  of 
that  sickening  journey  !  But  it  wore  itself 
out,  as  everything  will  ;  and  by  the  time  we 


1(5  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

entered  the  Capes  *  I  was  able  to  skip  about 
with  the  spryest. 

"  It  was  a  pretty  sight  to  see  .the  ships 
riding  at  anchor  in  the  Roads  ;  and,  although 
it  was  only  March,  the  shores  were  green, 
and  the  air  was  sweet  with  spring.  But  the 
batteries  bristled  about  us,  and  the  first 
news  that  met  us  was  of  the  great  ram 
Merrimac  that  was  coming  from  Norfolk  to 
destroy  the  squadron.  That  gallant  old  sea- 
dog  Buchanan  commanded  her  ;  Tredgar 
and  Catesby  Jones  were  among  her  officers  ; 
she  was  reported  of  enormous  size,  and  was 
said  to  be  invulnerable. 

"But  the  days  drifted  quietly  by,  and 
we  youngsters  almost  forgot  to  expect  her. 
Then  came  one  or  two  false  alarms, 
and  finally  on  the  8th  of  March  we  saw 
the  smoke  trailing  far  up  the  Elizabeth 
River.  On  the  point  opposite  the  Fort, 
carriage  after  carriage  appeared,  filled 
with  ladies  in  gay  colors  ;  and  crowds 
of  men  clustered  on  the  bridge  and 
*  Capes  Charles  and  Henry. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  17 

shore,    until    there    was    hardly    foot-room. 

"Captain  Badford  was  absent  from  the 
ship,  and  so  Lieutenant  Morris  *  was  in 
command.  He  was  walking  up  and  down, 
lightly  humming  a  little  tune,  and  giving 
his  orders  quietly.  The  big  guns  were 
rolled  out,  and  the  shot  piled  near  at  hand. 
Then  a  great  bag  of  sand  was  sifted  about. 

'"What's  that  for,  Mr.  Hardy?'  I  whis- 
pered to  my  old  friend,  whose  station  was  at 
one  of  the  heavy  pivot-guns  on  the  spar-deck. 

"  '  To  soak  up  the  blood,  lad,'  he  answered, 
quite  simply. 

"'Blood!' 

"  '  Yes,'  he  grinned  ;  '  yer  ain't  sech  a  lub- 
ber as  to  think  there'll  be  a  fight  'thout 
blood,  air  you  ? ' 

" '  I  hadn't  thought  of  that,'  I  said  ; 
then  I  plucked  up  courage  to  add  :  '  Mr. 
Hardy,  if  I  get  dazed  and  stupid  with 
the  noise'  (for  I  had  heard  the  Long 
Toms  roar),  'just  sort,  of  give  me  a 
shove  or  a  word  ;  for  I  don't  want  to 
*  A  son  of  Commodore  Morris,  U.  S.  N. 


18  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

look  like  a  coward.'  (I  was  awfully  scared.) 
" '  Aye,  aye,  lad  ! '  he  growled,  staring  ab- 
sently at  the  smoke  drawing  nearer  and 
nearer  ;  ;  and  ef  I  git  my  discharge-papers 
in  the  fight,  I  wisht  yer'd  make  a  shift  ter 
git  my  chist  home  to  my  old  woman.  She 
lives  in  New  York,  out  by  Squattertown. 
I've  give  my  money  to  the  Cap'n,  but  I 
didn't  like  to  bother  him  about  the  chist.' 
"  Just  as  I  was  going  to  answer,  the  sig- 
nal was  given,  and  we  all  jumped  to  our 
stations,  and  silence  fell  on  the  ship.  It 
was  a  beautiful  day,  with  a  strong  wind 
blowing  off-shore  ;  and  the  Horseshoe  was 
white  with  foam.  By  this  time  the  Bam 
was  in  sight.  She  looked  for  all  the  world 
like  a  little  ship-house,  sunk  half  way,  and 
painted  black  ;  and  as  she  puffed  along  in  a 
slow,  sullen  way,  with  the  sharp  iron  peak 
turning  the  water  into  furrows  like  a  plough- 
share, the  men  looked  at  each  other,  and 
two  or  three  of  the  old  shell -backs  shook 
their  heads,  and  said  :  '  'Tain't  nateral  ! 
Who  ever  heern  of  fightin'  a  iron  ship  wi' 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  19 

wood  ? '  But  the  younger  ones  laughed,  and 
some  of  them  patted  their  guns  and  boasted 
of  what  they'd  do. 

"  The  ram's  crew  thought  they  were  go- 
ing to  surprise  us,  we  looked  so  peaceful. 
The  week's  wash  was  hanging  on  the  rigging, 
and  the  booms  were  out  alongside,  with  the 
boats  tied  to  them  ;  but  when  they  were 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  away,  Lieut. 
Morris  twigged  his  eye  aloft,  and  waved  his 
hand.  Down  came  the  wash,  the  booms 
were  swung  alongside,  the  boats  were  sent 
astern,  and  the  ship  swung  into  position. 
The  ram  drove  in  between  us  and  the  Con- 
gress. Then  there  was  a  stunning  roar,  and 
a  crash  as  if  the  world  were  at  an  end, 
and  we  seemed  wrapped  in  fire. 

"  Great  God,  what  sights  were  there  ! 
Arms  and  legs  flying  by  ;  shattered  trunks 
quivering  on  the  deck  ;  blood  and  palpitat- 
ing bits  of  flesh  scattered  over  the  guns, 
the  men — everywhere  ;  and  at  my  very  feet 
rolled  the  head  of  a  young  sailor  belonging 
to  the  crew  of  one  of  the  after-guns,  his 


20  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

mouth  still  open  with  the  cheer  he  was  giv- 
ing, his  features  distorted  with  agony,  his 
eye-lids  snapping  violently.  I  turned  deadly 
sick  ;  but  Hardy  dashed  a  bucket  of  water 
over  me,  and  sent  me  below  for  fresh  powder. 
"  When  I  came  on  deck,  the  Merrimac  was 
still  advancing,  but  the  dead  were  being  laid 
aside,  and  the  wounded  carried  to  the  berth- 
deck  and  sick-bay.  Captain  Morris's  eyes 
were  flashing  and  his  nostrils  quivering,  but 
his  voice  was  clear  and  steady,  and  except 
for  a  quick  look  of  sorrow  at  his  poor  mangled 
men  he  was  as  gay  and  bright  as  ever. 

"  Of  course  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  the 
Merrimac.  She  was  coming  full  tilt  at  us, 
her  bow  at  right  angles  with  our  hull,  and 
she  struck  us  a  little  forward  of  amidships. 
The  splintering,  tearing  sound  of  the  wood, 
the  sharp  shriek  of  the  dying  below,  and  the 
hollow,  wrathful  groan  that  broke  from 
many  of  the  living,  made  this  as  awful  an 
event  as  the  first  broadside.  And  with  it 
'  ringing  over  the  water  came  the  summons  to 
surrender. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  21 

"  ''Never  ! '  shouted  Morris.  '  I'll  sink 
alongside ! '  * 

"And  he  had  the  flag  nailed  to  the  mast- 
head, and  gave  his  orders  as  cheerfully  and 
calmly  as  if  there  was  not  a  hole  in  the 
ship's  side  '  big  enough  to  drive  a  cart  and 
horse  into.'f 

"  Such  of  the  wounded  as  could  be  got  on 
deck  were  helped  to  the  boats  ;  and  as  the 
ship  settled,  the  men  came  pouring  up  from 
the  gun-deck;  but  not  until  they  had  been 
knee-deep  in  water  as  they  worked  the  guns. 

"  The  firing  went  on  from  the  Merrimac, 
and  our  pivot-guns  on  the  spar-deck 
answered  back.  Down  in  the  sick-bay  all 
sound  had  ceased,  £  and  the  water  began 
lapping  over  our  feet  ;  then  the  ship  gave  a 
sickening  lurch,  and  went  down. 

"  The  last  thing  I  remember  was  seeing 
the  fire  spurt  from  the  guns  when  the  water 
was  only  a  few  inches  from  their  muzzles, 
and  seeing  the  flag  fly  so  clear  and  beau- 

*  His  own  words. 

JThe  words  used  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  fight. 
Over  100  men  were  lost  by  death  and  drowning. 


22  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

tiful  against  the  sky.  Then  the  waves 
closed  over  me  ;  somebody  seized  me  vio- 
lently by  the  hair,  and  I  didn't  know  any- 
thing else  till  I  came  to  on  the  strip  of  sand 
that  did  duty  for  a  beach. 

"I  thought  I  was  dead;  I  sat  up  and 
rubbed  my  eyes  vigorously,  choking  the 
salt-water  out  of  my  throat,  and  coughing 
like  a  steam  tug.  The  ship  was  gone,  but 
from  her  main  topmast  floated  the  pennon. 
The  Congress  was  there,  but  the  white  flag 
flew  at  her  main,  and  she  was  hard  aground 
and  afire  ;  the  Minnesota  was  aground  too  ; 
and  the  Merrimac  was  steaming  back 
toward  Norfolk,  while  the  people  on  the 
point  cheered  like  mad. 

"At  my  side  lay  Hardy,  pale  and  still; 
and  I  noticed  the  blood  was  clotted  on  his 
forehead,  and  a  piece  of  flesh  as  big  as  your 
fist  was  dug  out  of  his  side.  He  was 
stripped  to  the  waist,  and  I  saw  round  his 
neck  a  stout  string,  on  which  hung  a  square 
of  dark  cloth,  with  a  medal  sewed  on  it. 
While  I  looked,  he  lifted  his  hand  and 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  23 

caught  the  two  things  and  raised  them  to 
his  lips. 

"  'O  Mr.  Hardy!'  I  said,  'are  you  going 
to  die?' 

"  'Not  yet,  my  boy,  thank  God!  D'ye  see 
them  ? '  and  he  held  up  the  bit  of  flannel  and 
the  medal.  '  Nobody  dies  an  unpervided 
death  that  wears  them  with  the  right  sperrit 
and  belief.' 

"  '  What  are  they  ? '  I  asked,  curiously. 

" '  Why,  bless  my  eyes,  boy,  don't  you 
know?  That's  the  Scapular  of  Ml  Carmel, 
and  that's  a  medal  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
Ain't  you  ever  heerd  of  the  patron  saint  of 
sailors — Mary,  the  Star  of  the  Sea  ? ' 

"He  had  sat  up  in  his  eagerness,  but 
turned  to  look  at  the  ship  as  he  spoke. 
His  eyes  searched  the  water  anxiously,  and 
lighted  up  for  a  moment  when  he  spied 
the  pennon;  but  when  he  sighted  the 
Congress  he  fell  back  on  the  sand, 
muttering: 

"  '  Poor  old  girl  ! '  (meaning  the  Cumber- 
land], '  she's  gone  to  her  death,  sartin;  but  it 


24  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

was  wi'  colors  fly  in',  and  things  ship-shape. 
Now,  thar's  the  Congress!  Lord!  Lord!'  and 
the  tears  trickled  down  his  grizzled  beard. 
'  Cap'n  Joe  *  must  be  dead,  shore ;  fur  he 
wouldn't  'a  let  that  white  rag  float.'  (We 
found  afterward  he  was  dead.)  Then  he 
continued,  wearily:  '  We  mustn't  lay  here  all 
night,  my  boy:  we  must  git  off  to  the  Fort.' 

"And  he  signalled  a  small  boat  that  was 
pottering  about,  picking  up  the  wounded 
and  bits  of  wreckage;  and  we  were  landed 
at  the  Fort,  where  Hardy's  wounds  were 
dressed,  and  where  we  heard  to  our  delight 
that  Lieut.  Morris  was  alive.  And  the  next 
day  we  saw  the  great  fight  between  the 
Monitor  and  the  Merrimue, — the  fight  that 
avenged  the  Cumberland,  and  revolutionized 
naval  warfare  throughout  the  world." 

"Ah,"  said  Bob,  with  a  long  breath,  "  that 
was  worth  living  for!  But  to  have  to  stick 

*  Captain  Joseph  Smith,  the  son  of  Admiral  Joseph 
Smith,  U.  8.  N.,  and  a  brother  of  Miss  Anna  Smith,  of 
Washington,  who  devotes  her  life  and  fortune  to  charity. 
Her  last  public  work  was  presenting  her  house  and 
grounds  on  9th  Street,  N.  W.,  for  a  house  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  city. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  25 

in  a  poky —  He  checked  himself,  and 
gave  a  quick,  impatient  sigh.  "  Tell  me 
about  the  Monitor,  please,  Father.  " 

"Not  to-day,  my  boy,"  said  the  good 
priest,  kindly;  "for  I  have  to  be  back  at 
Shrewsbury  by  noon.  And  now,  before  I  go, 
I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you." 

"  Anything,  Father!  "  said  Bob,  enthusias- 
tically. 

"  You  are  fond  of  the  sea,  and  want  to  be 
a  sailor  ?  Am  I  right  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  should  smi — I  mean  I  should 
rather  think  so." 

"Well,  I  want  you  to  promise  me  you  will 
never  go  to  sea  without  your  mother's  con- 
sent." 

Bob  hesitated,  then  looked  up  frankly 
into  Father  Jerome's  face.  "  That  would  be 
an  awful  hard  promise  to  keep,  Father." 

"  You  could  do  it,  though,  if  you  promised. 
And,  my  lad,"  said  he,  laying  his  hand  on 
Bob's  shoulder,  "it  will  save  you  a  sore 
heart  for  the  rest  of  your  life.  When  I  got 
my  first  promotion,  and  wrote  home  to  my 


26  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

dear  old  mother,  my  letter  came  back  with 
the  words,  '  Dead,  and  the  family  moved 
away,1  written  across  it.  And  I  have  never 
seen  one  of  them  since,  although  I've 
hunted  and  advertised  far  and  wide." 

"  Yes,  Father,"  said  Bob,  subdued  by  his 
sadness. 

" Have  I  your  promise? " 

"  Ye — e — s,"  said  Bob ;  "  but,  oh,  do  pray 
that  mother  will  let  me  go!  It's  all  I  care 
for,  or  think  about.  How  could  you  leave 
it,  Father  Jerome?  Oh,  my — I  beg  your 
pardon! " 

"Not  at  all,  lad;  no  harm  done.  Good 
old  Hardy  made  a  Catholic  of  me  before  he 
was  killed  at  Port  Hudson;  and  when  the 
war  was  over  I  went  out  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean. I  was  in  Eome  one  Easter  Week, 
and  that  set  me  thinking.  I  had  seen  an 
awful  lot  of  men  killed  in  the  body,  and 
many  an  honest  sailor  ruining  his  soul:  and 
I  wondered  if,  being  a  sailor  myself,  I 
couldn't  understand  and  help  them  a  bit. 
So,  when  we  got  into  Norfolk,  and  I  was 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  27 

discharged,  I  went  up  to  Baltimore  to  see 
the  Archbishop,  and  to  ask  if  he  thought  a 
rough  sailor  like  me  could  do  anything; 
and  here  I  am!" 

Then  he  left  us,  Bob  hanging  about  him 
to  the  last,  and  being  made  happy  by  an 
invitation  to  visit  him  before  he  left  Father 
McDonald's. 


II. 

FOR  a  day  or  two  after  Father  Jerome's 
visit,  Bob  went  about  in  a  state  of  abstrac- 
tion that  made  him  both  exasperating  and 
amusing.  He  stumbled  over  chairs,  and 
bumped  into  doors;  he  tripped  over  my 
train  on  an  average  of  three  times  an  even- 
ing ;  he  upset  cups  and  vases,  knocked  the 
music  from  the  piano  rack  when  he  tried  to 
turn  it,  and  finally  mooned  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  on  Tuesday  afternoon  I  said: 

"  For  mercy's  sake,  boy,  go  out-doors,  and 
tumble  about  there!  " 

"  All  right,"  he  said,  laughing."  I'm  an  aw- 
ful duffer,  I  know;  but  forgive  it  this  time." 

The  next  I  saw  of  him  he  was  walking  up 
and  down  on  the  piazza,  his  hat  on  the  back 
of  his  head,  his  hands  stuffed  into  his 
pockets,  buried  in  thought,  and  whistling 
like  a  fife.  Of  course  it  was  "  Nancy  Lee," 
with  "  The  Tar's  Farewell "  and  "  The  Mid- 
28 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  29 

shipmite  "  for  a  change.  In  the  midst  of  a 
fine  flourish  he  straightened  himself  up  and 
started  for  the  stables,  where  I  heard  his 
clear,  boyish  voice,  a  few  minutes  later, 
ordering  Tony  to  saddle  Black  Jess.  Then 
he  came  running  up-stairs.  He  stopped  at 
my  door. 

"Aunt  Nell,  I'm  going  to  see  Father 
Jerome.  You  know  he  promised  to  tell  me 
about  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac  ;  and, 
besides,  I  want  to  talk  to  him."  Then,  ab- 
ruptly: "  What's  a  vocation,  anyway?" 

"A  calling  to  any  special  state  of  life, 
dear.  Don't  you  know — a  vocation  to  the 
priesthood,  and  so  on?" 

"  How  many  sorts  are  there? " 

"Why,  almost  as  many  as  there  are  walks 
of  life." 

"Oh!" 

Then  he  went  on. 

"  Well,  now,  if  a  person's  got  a  vocation, 
he  ought  to  follow  it,  oughtn't  he?  " 

"  Yes, — that  is  if  he's  sure  of  it,  and — 


30  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"Oh!  I'm  sure  of  it  fast  enough — dead 
sure — and  I  think  it's  a  first-rate  one — 

"And  present,  temporary  duties  do  not 
interfere,"  I  continued,  quietly. 

"Oh,  bother! — no,  I  didn't  mean  that! 
But  there's  just  this  to  it:  I  don't  mean  to 
whine  around,  or  kick  over  the  traces — 

"  O  Bob!  "  I  remonstrated. 

"  Well,  I  ain't  going  to  give  you  all  any 
more  worry  than  I  can  help ;  but  I  do  earn- 
estly believe  my  vocation  is  salt-water,  and 
I  can  not  settle  my  mind  to  being  cooped  up 
on  shore  all  my  life." 

And  there  came  into  his  bright  eyes  a 
look  that  made  me  think  of  a  young  eagle  I 
saw  once,  caged  and  petted,  but — not  tamed. 

"I'm  going  to  make  a  no  vena,"  he  added, 
a  little  defiantly;  "and  I'm  going  to  take 
St.  Paul  for  a  patron.  He  did  enough  sail- 
ing round  to  sympathize  with  a  fellow." 

"Bob!" 

"No:  I  don't  mean  any  irreverence.  But 
I've  tied  myself  up  with  a  promise,  and  all 
that's  left  for  me  to  do  is  just  to  pray  my- 
self into  a  sailor." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  31 

I  turned  away  to  hide  a  smile,  which 
I  would  not  have  had  him  see  for  any- 
thing; not  at  his  faith — that  was  natu- 
ral— but  at  his  boyish  and  somewhat 
belligerent  expression  of  it;  and  as  I 
stood,  I  busied  myself  at  my  desk  a 
moment. 

"  I  think  while  you  are  dressing  I  will 
write  a  line  to  Father  Jerome,  asking  him 
to  tea  to-morrow  evening.  Father  McDon- 
ald will  be  away,  and  it  will  be  lonesome  for 
him." 

"  Do,"  said  Bob,  "  that's  a  real  good  fel- 
low! "  (In  his  exuberance  he  sometimes 
ranked  me  as  a  "  fellow,"  and  a  "  hearty"; 
and  once,  when  between  us  we  upset  a  glue- 
pot,  he  called  me  his  "  messmate,"  with  an 
appreciation  of  his  small  pun  that  made  me 
laugh  in  spite  of  myself. ) 

And  he  rattled  off  to  "A  Life  on  the 
Ocean  Wave "  some  fifteen  minutes  later, 
leaving  me  more  gravely  impressed  with  his 
earnestness  regarding  a  sailor-life  than  I 
had  ever  been. 


III. 

TOWARD  dusk  Bob  rode  up,  and  flung  him- 
self off  Black  Jess,  tired,  and  apparently  dis- 
gusted. 

"Father  Jerome  was  out,"  he  said.  "I 
waited  an  hour,  hoping  he'd  get  back,  but 
he  didn't  ;  and  all  I  could  do  was  to  leave 
the  note  and  come  away.  Pshaw  !  I  hate  to 
miss  people  when  I  want  to  see  them  ! " 

This  was  so  manifest  that  I  hastened  to 
consult  him  as  to  what  we  should  have  for 
tea  the  next  evening.  But  his  usually 
sweet  temper  was  still  a  trifle  ruffled,  and  he 
half  grumbled  :  "  Sailors  don't  care  what 
they  eat.  If  you  were  to  live  on  '  salt  horse ' 
and  hard-tack,  with  plum-duff  and  lobscouse 
for  rarities,  you'd  be — 

"Quite  willing   to  eat   anything   nice   I 

could  get  hold  of.     Why,   my  dear,   those 

names  are  enough  to  scare  a  body's  appetite 

away  !     '  Salt  horse,'   '  hard-tack ' ;  Ihey  are 

32 


•;'"       , 

MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  33 

bad  enough,  but  the  others  are  quite  impos- 
sible. I  suppose,"  I  added  mildly,  "  you 
will  be  inviting  me  to  eat  binnacles  and 
scuppers  next?  "  (I  was  not  nautical. )  This 
made  him  laugh,  and  the  little  cloud  dis- 
persed. 

The  next  morning  brought  a  note  from 
Father  Jerome,  thanking  us  for  our  invita- 
tion, but  saying  he  could  not  accept  it,  as 
an  old  shipmate  had  met  him  at  the  depot 
the  evening  before,  and  was  spending  the 
day  with  him,  by  Father  McDonald's  per- 
mission. He  added,  however  :  "  If  you  will 
allow  me,  I  will  come  after  tea,  and  bring 
him  with  me.  He  is  Commander  Gorringe, 
U.  S.  N.,* — a  fine  fellow,  and  one  who,  I 
think,  will  prove  an  interesting  acquaintance 
to  you  all,  especially  to  my  friend  Bob." 

The  boy's  face  was  a  study  when  he  gave 
me  back  the  note,  which  I  had  handed  him. 

*  Commander  Henry  Honeychurch  Gorringe  resigned 
from  the  U.  S.  Navy  in  '83-84,  and  became  prominently 
connected  with  the  Cramp  Ship-yards.  He  received  an 
injury  in  a  fall  from  a  train,  which,  after  an  agonizing 
illness,  bravely  borne,  caused  his  death  a  few  weeks  ago, 
(July,  1885)  in  New  York.  He  was  a  gallant  officer,  a 
devoted  son,  and  a  faithful  friend. 

3 


34  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  Why,  that's  the  fellow  that  brought  over 
the  obelisk,* — don't  you  know?  Don't  you 
remember  the  row  there  in  Egypt  when  he 
wrapped  the  American  flag  around  it,  and 
dared  'em  to  come  on?r' 

"  Why,  so  it  is,  Bob  ;  and  you'll  have 
some  more  of  your  beloved  '  yarns.' ' 

He  fairly  danced. 

"Is  that  a  Highland  Fling?"  I  rashly 
asked. 

"  Highland  Fling  ! "  said  Bob,  scornfully. 
Then  he  added  :  "Not  to  know  a  hornpipe 
when  you  see  it  !  Well,  ma'am,  all  I  can  say 
to  you  is  you  had  just  better  cultivate 
Cooper's  acquaintance,  or  Marryatt's,  or — 

"  O  Bob,"  I  hurried  to  interrupt,  "  I  am 
reading  the  '  Water-Witch '  now  as  fast  as  I 
can  ;  but  I  do  get  so  tangled  up  in  the  ropes 
and  things, — don't  you  know?" 

"  You  may  bet  your — I  mean,  I  think  you 
do,  slightly.  "Let  me  see,"  he  added,  re- 
flectively. "  Who  was  it  asked  me  if  the  keel 
was  what  they  used  to  heave  the  log  with?  " 

*  In  Central  Park,  New  York. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  35 

"  Well,"  I  said,  in  self  defense,  "  reel  and 
keel  do  sound  alike." 

"  Aunt  Nell,"  he  said,  with  a  twinkle  that 
ought  to  have  warned  me,  "if  I  should  ask 
you  if  your  backbone  was  what  you  tied 
your  collar  with,  what  would  you  think?  " 

"That  you  were  a  goose,  dear,  as  usual." 

"  Then,  as  the  keel  is  the  ship's  backbone, 
and  the  reel  the  little  whirligig  the  log-line 
is  wound  on,  the  deduction  is  that  you  are  a 
,  eh?" 

And  then  he  clattered  up-stairs,  where  he 
refreshed  himself  by  rubbing  up  every 
pike  and  cutlass  and  pistol  in  his  collection. 


IV. 

EVENING  brought  a  harvest  moon,  Father 
Jerome,  and  his  friend.  We  were  sitting  on 
the  piazza  when  they  drove  up,  and  Bob 
and  I  went  forward  to  welcome  them.  The 
sailor  priest  shook  hands  heartily,  and  then 
introduced  his  friend. 

He  was  a  man  above  middle  height,  of  ro- 
bust build,  and  slightly  lame.  He  raised  his 
hat  and  bowed  to  me,  then  turned  to  Bob, 
and,  as  he  caught  the  boy's  hand  in  a  cordial 
grasp,  he  said  : 

"  So  this  is  the  young  man  that  wants  to 
be  a  sailor,  eh?  A  hard  life,  lad  ;  a  hard 
life  ! " 

"  Most  things  worth  having  are  hard,  sir, 
— I  mean,  to  get  and  do,"  answered  Bob, 
modestly  but  firmly. 

"  That's  true,"  said  he,  looking  more  at- 
tentively at  the  boy.  "  And  if  you  stick  to 
that  idea  you'll  do." 

86 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  37 

Then  we  went  on  the  piazza,  and  when  the 
conversation  became  general,  Father  Jerome 
drew  aside  a  little  and  said  to  me  : 

"  Gorringe  is  such  a  modest  fellow  he 
will  never  talk  about  himself,  but  I'm  going 
to  try  to  get  him  to  tell  Bob  about  his  first 
cruise.  It  is  enough  to  knock  the  '  romance 
of  the  sea'  into  a  cocked  hat." 

We  were  both  watching  the  young  officer 
while  he  was  speaking.  His  small,  well-set 
head  was  covered  with  close-cropped  brown 
*hair,  into  which,  from  the  forehead,  ran  a 
deep  scar.  His  features  were  clean-cut,  his 
eye-brows  level  and  well  defined,  and  a  smile 
of  exceeding  sweetness  played  over  his  thin 
lips.  His  manner  was  as  simple  as  Father 
Jerome's,  but  more  polished,  and  his  words 
were  to  the  point  and  ready. 

Presently  Father  Jerome  laughed  amused- 

iy  = 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  first  time  I  saw 
him.  It  was  on  the  Mississippi,  during  one 
of  the  hottest  fights  we  had  under  Porter. 
He  had  come  aboard  during  the  night,  with 


38  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

a  new  draft  of  men,  but  I  was  too  excited 
the  next  morning  to  notice  anything  except 
the  preparations  for  the  battle.  Hardy  was 
serving  a  heavy  gun  on  the  spar-deck,  but  I 
was  on  duty  'tween  decks.  Broadsides  were 
thundering,  and  the  whole  place  was  a 
smother  of  powder-smoke.  Our  gun's  crew 
were  doing  their  level  best  to  cripple  the 
enemy  ;  but  just  as  we  got  well  alongside, 
a  shell  burst  among  us  that  didn't  leave  five 
men  standing.  Even  I  was  tumbled  into  a 
corner,  and  I  watched  three  crews  come  up 
and  scatter  under  either  shells  or  the  fire  of 
small-arms.  Then  the  gun-captain  (a  young 
lieutenant,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten,  and 
whose  arm,  by  the  way,  was  torn  off  at  the 
elbow)  ordered  the  men  to  let  that  gun 
alone,  and  they  drew  off,  not  too  willingly  ; 
for  in  the  last  effort  to  work  it  they  had 
loaded  it  and  run  it  out  the  port. 

"About  five  minutes  afterward  I  saw  a 
young  sailor  come  stepping  along.  He 
wasn't  more  than  eighteen  or  so,  with  the 
roundest,  most  boyish  face  I  ever  saw.  He 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  39 

was  in  his  bare  feet,  and  the  sleeves  of  his 
blue  shirt  were  rolled  up  to  the  shoulders; 
and  I  noticed  how  fine  and  white  his  skin 
was,  and  I  wondered  what  he  was  doing  in 
such  a  mess.  He  looked  all  around,  then 
went  up  to  the  gun,  examined  it,  and 
glanced  out  the  port-hole.  Something  he 
saw  seemed  to  excite  him  highly,  for  he 
struck  his  open  hand  on  the  breach  of  the 
gun,  and  said:  Til  do  it;  by  George,  I 
will ! '  and  he  hauled  away  at  the  lanyard, 
and  another  deafening  voice  was  added  to 
the  uproar. 

"  Then  he  caught  up  the  swab  and  sponge, 
and  got  astride  the  gun,  worked  his  way  out 
on  it,  and  laid  along  it,  swabbing — and 
whistling  I  suppose;  for  his  mouth  was 
puckered  up,  but  the  lull  was  over,  and  I 
couldn't  hear  any  more  than  if  I  were 
stone-deaf.  Then  he  wriggled  and  slid 
back,  and  looked  around  for  powder. 

"  I  remembered  putting  a  lot  of  bags 
alongside  the  bulwark  before  the  first  explo- 
sion, and  I  lifted  my  head  as  well  as  I  could. 


40  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Two  of  the  second  crew  had  fallen  on  the 
powder,  and  hid  it  from  sight.  I  called  out: 
'Hi  there,  you!'  But  of  course  he  didn't 
hear,  so  1  picked  up  a  rammer,  and  flung  it 
at  him. 

"  Then  he  turned,  and  I  pointed.  He 
lifted  up  the  dead  men  as  well  as  he  could, 
and  hauled  out  three  or  four  bags.  And  as 
he  did  it  he  looked  over  and  nodded  at  me 
with  a  smile  of  real  delight.  Then  he 
picked  up  the  rammer,  crawled  out  on  the 
gun  again,  and  put  in  the  charge;  after 
which  he  came  back  for  the  shot,  put  that 
in,  and  rammed  the  whole  well  home ;  then 
he  came  inboard,  and  fired  it  a  second  time. 
And  he  kept  at  that  till  the  fight  was  over, 
when  he  helped  to  carry  me  below. 

';  After  the  doctor  had  patched  me  up, 
Hardy  came  to  see  how  I  was  getting  on, 
and  to  scold  me  for  what  he  called  '  yer 
impidence  in  pretendin'  you  were  man 
enough  to  git  wounded.  Why,  boy,'  said 
he,  'ye'd  better  look  out!  Thar  ain't  enough 
of  you  for  a  good,  respectable  wound  to 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  41 

spread  out  on.  It  'ud  lap  over,  and  leave 
you  short  two  or  three  legs  and  arms.' 

"But  he  grunted  with  such  satisfaction 
when  he  heard  it  was  only  my  ribs  that  were 
broken,  and  my  scalp  that  was  cracked,  that 
I  knew  he  was  really  concerned. 

"  I  told  him  about  the  sailor  I  had  seen. 
His  eyes  twinkled. 

"  'He's  a  cool  'un,  he  is,  and  no  mistake! 
I  was  helpin'  cut  away  the  raffle,  when  the 
cap'n  asks:  Who  fought  that  ere  gun? 

'"I  don't  know,  sir,'    says  th'  executive. 

" '  Find  out,  if  you  please,  sir,'  says  the 
cap'n. 

"'Aye,  aye,  sir,'  says  th'  executive.  And 
he  slews  round  to  the  men  washin'  down 
the  deck.  '  Do  any  of  you  know  ? '  he  sings 
out. 

"'Plaze,  sir,  says  Pat  Dolan  (a  foretop 
man)  I  don't  jist  remimber  his  name,  but 
he's  wan  av  thim  new  min  that  came  aboord 
last  night,  sir.' 

"Then  up  speaks  Dover  Bill:  'Hi  think, 
sir,  'is  name's  Horange.' 


42  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  '  Send  him  for'ard,'  says  the  executive. 

"  '  Aye,  aye,  sir.' 

"  An1  he  come  along,  looking  the  sur- 
prisedest.  He  was  grimy,  and  his  clothes 
were  torn  fore  and  aft;  and  he  looked  fust 
at  one  and  then  at  another.  The  cap'n 
fixed  his  eye  on  him,  and  said,  deep  and 
stern :  '  Did  you  work  that  gun  the  last  half 
of  the  engagement  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,  sir.' 

"  '  Who  gave  you  your  orders? ' 

"  '  No  one,  sir.' 

"'  Then  why  did  you  do  it? ' 

"  '  Well,  sir,  as  I  was  looking  through 
the  porthole,  I  got  such  a  good  sight  at  the 
enemy  I  thought  it  was  a  pity  for  the  gun  to 
be  idle,  and  I — well,  sir,  then  I  just  let  fly.' 

"'And  you  did  very  right.  [The  boy 
looked  surprised.]  I  am  pleased  with  you, 
and  intend  to  mention  you  in  the  dispatches.' 

"  '  The  blood  went  a  hummin'  up  inter 
his  face,  till  it  looked  like  a  wig- wag,*  but 
th'  old  man  went  on: 

*  A  signal  flag. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  43 

"  '  Will  you  have  promotion,  or  would 
you  rather  have  a  medal  ? 

"'He  raised  his  head,  and  said,  simply: 
'A  medal,  if  you  please,  sir.' 

"  '  Bather  than  promotion  ?  That's  un- 
usual. May  I  ask  why  ?  [The  old  cap'n 
was  a  gentleman  to  the  core.  J 

"  '  I  have  a  mother,  sir,'  says  he,  gently 
as  a  girl.  '  A  promotion's  a  empty  name, 
but  a  medal  I  could  send  to  her.1* 

" '  Very  well,'  says  the  cap'n,  and  turns 
away  ;  '  but,'  concluded  Hardy,  '  I  heerd 
him  say  to  th'  executive:  'That  fellow's  a 
gentleman's  son,  I'll  bet  my  hat;  and  he'll 
make  his  mark.' 

"  And  he  did,"  said  Father  Jerome, 
heartily.  "  Before  three  months  he  was 
Acting  Ensign;  and  he  went  on  steadily 
advancing  in  honor  till  the  war  was  over; 
then  he  passed  first  or  second  on  a 
tremendously  long  list,  and  was  com- 
missioned in  the  Regular  Navy  as  a  Lieu- 

*  The  incident  is  strictly  true,  and  the  conversation 
as  nearly  verbatim  as  my  memory  will  permit. 


44  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

tenant-Commander —  But  Bob  must  have 
his  story  before  it  grows  too  late." 

And  in  the  first  pause  he  said: 

"Well,  Harry,  have. you  convinced  Bob 
that  a  sea  life  is  not  all  his  fancy  painted?" 

(The  boy  had  been  sitting  at  the 
Captain's  feet,  watching  him  with  the  most 
rapt  attention. ) 

"  No,"  answered  the  pleasant  voice,  "  I 
haven't  said  anything  about  it." 

"Why,  how's  that?" 

"  Well,  I  didn't  think  any  one  would  care 
to  hear  a  sailor  talk  shop." 

"Oh,  do,  Captain  Gorringe!"  said  Bob, 
with  such  a  heartfelt  sigh  that  the  Captain 
laughed,  and  said,  kindly: 

"What   would   you  like  to  know,  lad?" 

"Oh!"  said  Bob,  "what  you  felt,  what 
you  thought,  what  you  did,  when  you  first 
got  fairly  afloat.  Where  you  went,  what 
you  saw — 

And  he  stopped,  fairly  silenced  by  the 
vastness  of  the  subject. 

"  Well,   I   felt  desperately  sea-sick,   and 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  45 

thoroughly  homesick;  and  while  I  was 
straining  my  eyes  to  see  the  last  of  the 
island,  a  rope's  end  was  laid  sharply  on  my 
back  and  about  my  legs,  to  make  me 
'  tumble-up  lively.' ' 

"How  brutal!"  broke  in  the  soft  voice 
of  Bob's  mother.  "  What  did  you  do, 
Captain  Gorringe  ?  " 

"  I  went  aloft,  Madam.  But  when  I  got 
there,  I  'laid  out'  on  a  yard,  the  sickest, 
sorriest  youngster  you  ever  saw." 

"Are  such  things  allowed  in  the  Navy?" 

"  I  was  not  in  the  Navy  then.  I  was  in 
the  English  merchant  marine.  My  father 
shipped  me — " 

"  Your  father?     Pardon — " 

"  Do  not  get  a  mistaken  impression, 
Madam.  My  father  was  as  loth  to  do  it  as 
my  mother  was  to  let  him  do  it, — and 
perhaps  you  can  guess  what  that  feeling 
was,"  he  added,  with  a  smile.  "  But  I  had 
the  mania  for  a  sea-life  too  strongly  to 
reason,  or  hear  reason.  I  even  went  so  far 
as  to  threaten  to  run  away  if  he  did  not 


46  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

consent;  and,  as  the  ships  were  coming  and 
going  daily,  and  as  1  was  an  obstinate  little 
wretch,  there  was  some  ground  for  expecting 
I'd  do  it. 

"  My  father  was  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  we  lived  in  the 
Barbadoes.  His  parish  was  the  whole 
island,  and,  as  he  spent  much  of  his  time 
riding  about  among  the  people,  he  was 
often  absent  from  home  for  days  at  a  time; 
and  these  intervals  were  what  he  feared. 

"  I  made  myself  simply  odious  in  the 
matter,  and  finally  things  reached  such  a 
pitch  that  he  told  me  if  I  would  go  back 
to  school,  study  hard,  and  not  say  '  sea '  for 
a  year,  he  would  let  me  go,  if  I  did  not 
change  my  mind. 

"  I  did  it,  and  the  day  the  year  was  up  1 
walked  into  his  study  and  reminded  him  of 
his  promise.  He  fairly  groaned,  but  said: 
'Yes,  I  will  keep  my  part  of  the  bargain, 
as  you  have  kept  yours.'  But  lie  added: 
'  My  son,  you  must  begin  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder.  I  shall  ship  you  as  a  cabin-boy, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  47 

and  you'll  have  to  fare  and  share  alike  with 
the  other  'prentices,  and  they  are  a  rough 
lot.' 

"  '  Very  well,  sir,'  I  said.  And  in  a  few 
days  I  was  afloat. 

"  When  I  bade  good-bye  to  my  mother,  I 
had  a  lump  in  my  throat  as  big  as  a  marble ; 
and  by  the  time  I  saw  my  father  go  over 
the  ship's  side,  and  heard  the  anchor 
clanking  up,  it  was  as  big  as  an  apple,  and 
I  was  choking  like  a  good  fellow,  when  the 
bosen  gave  me  the  rope's  end.  That  was  a 
diversion! " 

"But  after  that?"  asked  Bob,  a  little 
crestfallen. 

"  Oh,  after  that  we  sailed  quietly  enough 
to  London,  and  there  the  first  time  I  went 
ashore  I  got  arrested." 

"You!   What  for?" 

"  Well,  my  uncle  saw  me  trotting  round 
the  wharves,  and  thought,  of  course,  I  had 
run  away;  so  he  nabbed  me,  and  had  me 
locked  up  until  he  could  get  a  message  to 
my  father.  But  I  referred  him  so  per- 


48  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

sistently  to  the  captain  that  at  last  he  sent 
for  him,  and  learned  to  his  great  amazement 
that  I  was  shipped  with  my  father's  consent. 
He  was  very  angry,  and  called  us  a  pair  of 
fools,  I  remember." 

Captain  Gorringe  said  this  so  quaintly 
that  we  all  laughed. 

"And  then?"  said  Bob,  expectantly. 

"  Well,  after  that  we  did  have  some 
adventures." 

"Ah — h — h!"  said  our  boy;  "tell 'em— 
that  is,  please,  Captain!" 


V. 


"OUR  adventures  began  off  the  Guinea 
coast.  We  saw  a  meteor,  and  the  sailors 
got  very  low-spirited,  for  they  are  super- 
stitious— poor  fellows! — to  the  last  degree. 
They  declared  it  was  no  use  to  brace  up  and 
have  a  good  time,  for  they  were  all  bound 
for  '  Davy  Jones's  Locker ' ;  and  we  crossed 
the  line  (the  Equator)  without  any  of  the 
usual  ceremonies  of  receiving  Neptune,  and 
initiating  the  green  hands, — although  we 
youngsters  tried  our  best  to  be  jolly." 

"Captain,"  I  interrupted,  "excuse  me 
please,  but  what  is  '  Davy  Jones 's  Locker '  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  as  nearly  as  I  can 
reckon  it  is  the  bottom  of  the  sea ;  but  why 
Davy  Jones's  I  have  not  been  able  to  make 
out,  nor  have  I  ever  heard." 

"  Coast  of  Guinea — "  said  Bob. 

"  Yes.  And  two  or  three  sharks  followed 
the  ship  for  several  days;  and  whenever  we 
4  49 


50  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

looked  over  the  side,  and  saw  those  sharp 
black  tins  cutting  the  water,  we  all  felt  blue 
together. 

"Off  Good  Hope  we  caught  it!  I  have 
been  in  a  good  many  gales,  but  I  certainly 
think  that  took  the  lead.  The  mizzenmast 
snapped  off  to  a  stump;  the  foremast  and 
mainmast  were  sprung,  and  had  to  be  cut  away 
with  all  the  standing  rigging;  the  hatches 
were  battened  down;  the  decks  were  swept 
every  moment  by  enormous  seas,  and  we 
just  went  wallowing  and  staggering  along, 
expecting  every  minute  to  be  our  last.  And 
the  wind! — it  was  like  a  solid  wall,  and 
shrieked  and  howled  as  if  the  princes  of  the 
powers  of  the  air  were  out  on  a  holiday 
with  all  their  demon  crew.  But  the  gale 
blew  itself  out  at  last,  and  after  we  got  over 
our  surprise  at  being  alive,  we  rigged  a 
jury-mast  and  made  for  Ceylon;  and, 
although  we  were  so  forlorn  and  crippled, 
we  were  as  jolly  as  sand-boys,  for  the 
sailors  thought  our  'bad  luck'  was  over. 

"  Of  course  we  had  been  blown  a  long  way 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  51 

out  of  our  course,  and  whether  the  charts 
were  wrong  or  the  reckonings  faulty  I  could 
not  say,  but  I  know  as  we  crawled  up  the 
coast  one  beautiful  moonlight  night  we  ran 
full  on  a  sunken  reef,  and  the  ship  foundered 
so  rapidly  that  we  had  only  time  to  save 
ourselves. 

"  AYe  landed  on  a  barren  ledge  of  the 
main  land;  and  the  captain,  after  muttering 
a  few  words  about  '  Disgrace  of  losing  my 
ship— loss  of  the  owners — being  broken 
from  my  rank,'  put  his  revolver  to  his 
temple  and  blew  his  brains  out.  He  fell  on 
the  edge  of  the  rocks,  where  he  lay  a 
moment,  then  rolled  into  the  water." 

"How  horrible!"  I  shudderingly  said. 

"Yes,  it  was,"  he  replied,  thoughtfully; 
"  especially  as  it  was  the  first  suicide  I  had 
ever  witnessed.  But,  do  you  know,  my 
strongest  sensation,  after  the  first  shock, 
was  disgust  for  the  cowardice  of  the  thing!  " 

"  That  is  just  what  it  amounts  to,"  said 
Father  Jerome, — "unless  the  mind  is 
hopelessly  deranged;  for  the  suicide  shifts 


52  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

his  burdens  to  the  shoulders  of  the 
survivors,  disgraces  his  family,  tarnishes 
their  name,  and  deepens  their  troubles. 
Worst  of  all,  he  loses  his  immortal  soul  by 
dying  in  the  act  of  predetermined  murder; 
for  '  Thou  shalt  not  kill '  binds  us  to  refrain 
from  taking  our  own  lives  as  well  as  from 
taking  the  life  of  another.  Despair  is  the 
devil's  favorite  temptation — but  avast  there! 
I'm  preaching  you  a  little  sermon.  Go  on, 
Gorringe,  with  your  story." 

"There  isn't  much  more  to  tell.  We 
started  up  country,  hoping  to  fall  in  with 
some  frie'ndly  natives.  But  how  we  suffered ! 
We  tramped  through  the  day  at  first,  but 
the  scorching  sun  killed  two  of  the  party; 
then  we  went  by  night,  but  that  was  ugly 
work;  for  the  jungle  was  alive  with 
poisonous  things,  and  full  of  cobras  and 
boas,  and  we  were  always  on  the  lookout 
for  tigers.  At  last  one  came.  It  was 
in  the  morning,  about  eleven  o'clock.  We 
were  moving  along  slowly,  for  there  was 
only  eight  of  us  left,  and  we  were  so  weak 
we  could  hardly  crawl." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  53 

"  Where  were  the  others,  Captain?  "  asked 
Bob. 

"  Dead.  We  had  only  roots  and  grasses 
to  eat,  and  some  were  poisoned;  and  the 
grass  brought  on  diseases  that  killed  those 
who  ate  it." 

"And  the  tiger?" 

"Yes,  and  a  great  fellow  he  was,  too.  He 
bounced  out  of  the  jungle,  and  stood  staring 
at  us,  swinging  his  tail  from  side  to  side, 
and  watching  us  with  his  great  eyes  glaring. 
I  declare  he  looked  so  much  like  a  cat  that 
I  felt  just  like  a  mouse!  I  happened  to  be  a 
little  ahead  of  the  others;  back  of  me  was 
an  old  sailor — the  carpenter — and  the  rest 
were  walking  Indian-file.  Hodgson  had  a 
staff,  and  that  was  the  only  thing  in  the 
way  of  a  weapon  in  the  party.  AVe  halted, 
and  some  began  to  drop  back,  but  I  was  too 
scared  to  move. 

"'Stop!'  sang  out  the  old  fellow;  'stop! 
Your  on'y  chawnce  is  in  keepin'  perfectly 
still,  and  starin'  'im  hout  o'  countenance.' 

s~We  kept  our  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  the 


54  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB 

brute,  and  I  felt  my  flesh  crawl  and  crinkle 
all  over  as  I  wondered  whether  I  was  the  one 
he'd  choose  to  spring  at;  but  either  he  had 
had  a  good  breakfast,  or  thought  our  bones 
were  not  worth  picking,  for  after  some 
minutes  he  turned  tail,  and  trotted  into  the 
jungle. 

"  Soon  afterward  we  fell  in  with  a  party 
of  friendly  Indians — Christians — who  took 
us  to  their  mission ;  and  the  missionary  gave 
us  clothes  and  food,  and  started  me,  home- 
ward on  an  American  fruit  vessel,  that  had 
come  out  with  a  load  of  oranges  from 
Havana,  and  was  going  back  with  nutmegs, 
etc.,  to  St.  Thomas. 

"  My  lad,"  he  added,  turning  impressively 
to  Bob,  "  never  go  into  the  merchant  service. 
There  is  no  set  authority;  the  owners  let 
the  captains  do  pretty  much  as  they  please, 
so  long  as  they  fetch  and  carry  the  cargoes 
all  right;  and  a  bad  captain  or  mate  can 
make  a  ship  unbearable,  for  he  is  absolute 
master  for  the  time  being  of  his  men's 
bodies — I  had  almost  said  souls.  The  ships 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  55 

are  often  unseaworthy,  generally  overloaded, 
and  are  recklessly  exposed." 

"  But,  Captain,"  burst  out  poor  Bob, 
"what  am  I  to  do?  I'm  wild  to  go  to  sea, 
but  I've  promised  Father  Jerome  I  won't 
run  off;  mother  won't  let  me  go  to  China,  to 
fight  the  pirates;  there's  no  war  to  enlist 
for;  and  now  you  say  the  merchant  service 
is  not  to  be  thought  of — 

"  Not  unless  you  want  '  more  kicks  than 
ha'pence,' '  he  quoted,  softly,  under  his 
breath. 

"  What  shall  I  do,  then?"  said  the  excited 
boy. 

"  Why,  I'll  tell  you.  Madam,"— turning 
to  Bob's  mother, — "  will  you  be  willing  to 
trust  your  boy  to  Eather  Jerome  and  me  for 
a  week?  We  are  going  to  Washington  to- 
morrow. I  have  some  business  there,  with 
the  Secretary;  and  I  think  I  can  put  your 
son  in  the  way  of  gratifying  his  tastes 
without  greatly  distressing  you ;  I  may  even 
cure  him  of  his  sea-madness." 

"  I  could  trust  him  anywhere  with   either 


56  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

of  you,"  she  said;  "but  the  care,  the 
trouble—" 

"  There  will  be  neither,  I  assure  you,"  he 
answered,  in  his  kindest  manner. 

And  then  and  there  it  was  settled  that  he 
should  go. 

"Do  you  feel  your  epaulets  sprouting?" 
I  whispered,  as  Bob  said  good-night ;  for  I 
felt  in  my  heart  he  had  taken  the  first  step 
toward  fulfilling  his  vocation. 


VI. 

His  letters  began  coming  three  days  after 
lie  left,  and  were  regular  and  voluminous. 
The  first  was  exultant: 

"Just  think!  almost  the  first  person  I  saw  was 
Admiral  Worden, — the  fellow  that  commanded 
the  Monitor,  you  know!  [Here  came  a  string  of 
exclamation  points  like  inflated  balloons.]  The 
Captain  and  I  were  on  our  way  to  the  Depart- 
ment [Navy,  of  course,  understood].  We  had 
turned  into  Pennsylvania  Avenue  at  i5th  Street 
and  New  York  Avenue,  and  I  was  trying  to  look 
both  ways  at  once;  for  the  Treasury  was  on  one 
side,  also  the  White  House;  and  on  the  other 
was  Lafayette  Square,  and  up  a  side  street 
[Vermont  Avenue]  was  the  house  where  Mr. 
Seward  was  assassinated.  First  I'd  take  a  snatch 
at  the  White  House  (mighty  ugly  too,  outside), 
then  I'd  slew  round,  and  squint  up  the  street  at 
the  Seward  house;  then  I'd  poke  into  the  Square 
to  see  the  big  statue  of  Jackson.  That's  fine! 
The  horse  is  a  whopper.  He's  rearing  up  in  the 
air  like  a  good  fellow;  and  the  thin  little  General 
is  saluting  the  White  House  as  politely  as  you 

57 


58  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

please.  The  Captain  says  his  hind  legs  are  cast 
solid,  and  his  head  and  neck  and  fore  legs  hollow 
(the  horse  I  mean);  and  a  man  named  Mills 
made  him  (not  that  nice  little  Theodore  Mills,* 
but  his  father).  And  the  General  used  to  salute 
Thomas  Jefferson,  too;  but  the  weather  preyed 
upon  Thomas  Jefferson's  bronze,  and  they  took 
him  away  from  before  the  White  House,  and 
put  him  up  in  the  Capitol. 

"  Well,  we  were  tacking  along,  and  suddenly 
the  Captain  said:  'Ah,  Admiral!  glad  to  see  you, 
sir! '  And  there  was  a  tall  gentleman,  holding 
out  -his  hand  and  saying  something,  I  don't 
remember  what,  for  just  then  the  Captain  turned 
to  me  and  said: '  Allow  me,  Admiral,  to  introduce 
a  warm  admirer  of  yours.  Admiral  Worden,  Bob.' 
I  just  gasped,  and  stared  so  my  eyes  must  have 
stuck  out  like  a  crab's. 

"  '  A  brother  of  yours,  Gorringe  ? ' 

"  '  No:  a  young  friend,  who  is  deeply  interested 
in  the  Navy.' 

"  '  Indeed  !  Well,  it's  a  fine  service,  my  boy. 
Are  you  going  to  enter  it  ? ' 

"'Yes,  sir.  I  don't  know  just  how,  but  I'm 
going  to  do  it  some  way.' 

"  '  By  fair  means  or  foul,  eh  ? ' 

" '  No,  sir  :  I've  got  to  do  everything   above 

*  The  first  American  sculptor  who  ever  won  the 
medal  at  Munich. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  59 

board  ;  and  I  reckon  it's  just  as  well,  for  I'm 
afraid  I'd  bolt  to-morrow  if  I  wasn't  strapped  up 
by  all  sorts  of  promises.' 

"  He  sort  of  smiled  at  this,  and  said  :  '  I  must 
see  more  of  your  young  friend,  Gorringe.  Fetch 
him  around  with  you  when  you  are  through  with 
the  Secretary ' ;  and  off  he  went. 

"He's  awfully  white  and  pale.  His  beard's 
gray,  and  his  hair  and  even  his  eyes  are  gray. 
The  left  one  is  blind,  and  all  around  it  the  gun- 
powder is  blown  into  the  skin  so  that  it  looks 
blue  ;  and  he's  quiet — not  a  bit  of  bounce  or  brag 
to  him.  He's  straight  and  thin,  and  he's  as 
square  about  the  shoulders  as  a  block.  After  he 
went,  the  Captain  told  me  about  his  eye. 

"  You  know  in  those  monitors  the  turrets  are 
revolving,  and  the  only  openings  are  one  port  for 
the  gun,  and  a  sight-hole.  That's  a  narrow  slit 
in  the  iron  plates,  with  a  round -opening  about 
big  enough  to  hold  a  pea,  and  the  officer  puts  his 
eye  to  that  to  get  a  '  sight '  of  the  enemy,  so  he 
can  train  the  gun,  and  have  the  shots  tell.  Well, 
Admiral  Worden — he  was  a  lieutenant  or  some- 
thing then  —  was  looking  through  this  when  a 
ball  came  flying  spang  right  on  it  !  The  pow- 
der was  burning,  and  the  hot  air  and  the  gas 
went  pelting  smack  into  his  eye,  and  shrivelled 
the  sight  out  of  it,  and  burnt  his  face,  and  banged 
him  up  so  everybody  thought  he  was  killed. 


60  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

The  blood  poured,  and  he  was  carried  down  be- 
low, and  Lieut.  Greene  finished  the  fight. 

"  I  am  going  to-morrow  to  see  the  Wyandotte 
at  the  Navy  Yard.  It  was  in  a  fight,  and  is 
chock-full  of  balls  and  things.  Wish  I  could  see 
the  Monitor  !  But  she  sank  long  ago,  off  Hat- 
teras,  in  a  gale. 

"  I  saw  the  house  where  Decatur  lived,  and  am 
going  to  see  Admiral  Porter  too. 

"  Your  devoted  son, 

"  HOB. 

"  P.  S. — The  journey  was  safe,  and  that  chicken 
first-rate." 


VII. 

BOB'S  next  letter  was  as  follows: 

"  I  had  a  mighty  good  time  at  the  Navy  De- 
partment. We  were  in  Admiral  Worden's  room 
an  hour,  and  he  talked  a  lot,  and  let  me  ask  all 
the  questions  I  wanted  to.  But  he  talked  most 
about  what  other  people  did.  I  just  had  to  fish- 
hook what  I  wanted  to  know  about  himself,  and 
then  played  it  like  a  trout  to  catch  it. 

"  I  asked  if  he  wasn't  proud  of  it.  He  said  he 
was  very  glad,  and  deeply  thankful.  That  it  was 
a  terrible  thing  to  come  into  Hampton  Roads 
and  find  the  Cumberland  sunk,  the  Congress  afire, 
— to  see  her  explode  later,  and  know  the  Min- 
nesota was  hard  aground,  and  the  destructive 
iron-clad  coming  down  next  day  to  finish  up 
the  fleet.  Then,  of  course,  it  was  touch  and  go. 
All  of  them  were  anxious,  and  they  hadn't  had 
any  sleep;  for  there  was  a  smartish  wind  coming 
around  from  New  York,  and  the  water  poured 
down  the  hatches  by  bucketfuls.  The  revolving 
machinery  was  hitchy,  and  the  experiment  of 
floating  and  fighting  such  a  craft  was  entirely 
new.  He  believed  in  it,  for  he  took  Admiral 

'  61 


62  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Smith's  view  of  it  (the  Captain  of  the  Congress's 
father,  you  know*).  But  still  it  was  shaky  work. 
vThey  got  alongside  of  the  Minnesota,  and  when 
the  flood-tide  came  she  floated;  out  came  the 
Mcrrimac,  and  clown  poured  the  people  in 
crowds  to  watch  the  fight.  The  Merrimac 
boomed  along,  but  whichever  way  she  turned 
there  was  the  Monitor — just  like  a  sword-fish 
and  a  shark,  he  said.  But  it  was  queer  to  watch 
the  balls  hop  off  the  iron-clad  like  popcorn  (he 
didn't  say  that],  and  to  hear  the  strange  and  aw- 
ful racket  when  the  balls  hit  the  iron-turret,  and 
when  the  gun  went  off  in  the  close  space.  He 
says  it  was  the  greatest  naval  fight  since  Sala — 
something,  and  Lepanto;  for  it  changed  the  en- 
tire system  of  sea  fighting,  and  drove  out  forever 
the  old  wooden  sides." 

Later  the  same  day  was  added  the  follow- 
ing: 

"  I've  been  to  the  Navy  Yard.  It  certainly  is 
a  place  !  They  make  the  biggest  anchors  in  the 
country — one  man  said  in  the  world,  but  I'll 
draw  it  mild. 

"  I  went  on  the  Wyandotte.  Great  Scott,  what 
a  time  those  fellows  must  have  had  !  I  counted 

*  Admiral  Smith's  advice  and  enthusiasm  decided  Mr 
Lincoln  and  Mr.  Seward  to  give  Ericsson's  strange  craft  a 
trial,  and  the*  Admiral  indicated  Worden  as  an  officer 
worthy  to  be  trusted  in  the  emergency. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  63 

four  shot  buried  in  the  turret,-some  cones  and 
some  round;  and  there's  a  dent  as  big  as  a  wash- 
basin in  the  forward  wall,  where  a  ball  hit.  But 
inside's  the  worst.  Dozens  of  rivet  heads  are 
off,  and  the  fellow  that  showed  me  round  said 
they  burst  off  with  the  shock  of  the  shot  hitting, 
and  that  they  killed  and  wounded  more  men 
than  anything  from  the  outside.  The  walls  are 
thick  as  a  brick-house  walls,  but  he  said  they 
would  be  only  paper  and  child's  play  to  the  guns 
and  things  HOT.V.  They  d  pierce  anything  made, 
and  that  they  weren't  going  to  thicken  up  the 
armor  any  more,  but  make  it  thinner  and  of  steel, 
so  the  balls,  etc.,  could  go  through  without  stick- 
ing or  bursting. 

"  And  he  told  me  a  lot  about  monitors.  There 
was  an  awful  story  of  one — the  Weehawken. 
She  was  South  some  place,  and  a  torpedo  explod- 
ed under  her  bow,  and  she  just  reared  up  so 
she  lost  her  balance,  and  sank  with  all  hands. 
And  two  or  three  years  after — when  the  war  was 
over — the  divers  went  into  her,  and  they  found 
the  people  just  as  they  were  when  she  swamped. 
One  officer  was  stooping  down  in  the  engine- 
room,  his  hand  on  the  machinery,  and  his  head 
turned  toward  another,  who  was  stepping  out 
of  the  room,  looking  back,  with  a  light  in  his 
hand.  The  men  were  at  their  stations,  except 
one,  who  was  jammed  in  the  turret  half  out  the 


64  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

port.  They  sank  as  suddenly  as  a  solid  shot, 
and  only  one  or  two  were  saved.  They  were  in 
the  turret,  and  got  out  of  the  port  as  it  turned 
by. 

"And  he  told  about  a  doctor  that  lived  on 
Capitol  Hill.  He  was  in  the  first  Monitor  when 
she  foundered;  and  a  boat-load  of  them  were 
getting  off  safe,  when  a  wave  dashed  them  up 
right  toward  the  iron  edge  of  the  deck.  They'd 
have  been  smashed  like  an  egg-shell  (for  it  would 
have  been  the  same  as  hitting  a  rock);  but  this 
man — the  doctor — quick  as  lightning  put  his  arm 
right  between  the  boat  and  the  iron,  and  caught 
the  shock.  It  jerked  his  arm  out  of  the  socket, 
and  ground  it  to  a  jelly,  so  the  bones  had  to  be 
all  taken  out,  and  it  was  just  a  mashed  string  of 
flesh  and  muscles,  and  it  was  paralyzed.  But  he 
saved  the  boat  and  the  people. 

"  I'm  going  to  Annapolis  to  morrow. 

"  Your  devoted  BOB. 

"  P.  S.  — I'm  well,  and  having  the  daisiest 
kind  of  a  time,  and  don't  you  forget — I  mean,  I 
certainly  am. 

"  P.  S.  (No.  2) — Yes'm,  I  clean  my  teeth  twice 
a  day,  and  I  put  on  a  clean  collar  and  cuffs 
morning  and  evening,  and  I  try  not  to  be  a 
bother. 

"  I'll  be  home  day  after  %to-morrow." 

And  "day  after  to-morrow"  he  did  come, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  65 

accompanied,  to  our  surprise  and  pleasure, 
by  Father  Jerome.  The  boy  was  in  splen- 
did trim,  and  treated  the  priest  with  a  frank 
affection  and  respect  that  pleased  us,  and 
argued  well  for  their  friendship. 

After  he  had  effervesced  for  a  while, 
Father  Jerome  said: 

"Bob,  I  wish  you'd  leave  us  for  a  few 
minutes:  I  want  to  speak  to  your  mother 

and  aunt." 

He    jumped   up,    and   vanished.       Then 

Father  Jerome  turned  to  us : 

"  I  shall  be  leaving  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try to-morrow,  and  God  alone  knows  when  I 
shall  ever  see  it  again.  But  before  I  go  I 
want  to  talk  about  the  boy.  You  asked  my 
advice,  and  I'll  give  it  freely.  I  think  he 
has  the  making  of  a  splendid  sailor  in  him, 
and  I  earnestly  advise  you  to  think  well 
before  you  decide  against  his  following  his 
bent.  A  forced  and  thwarted  inclination  is 
often  as  fatal  to  a  good  and  successful  man- 
hood as  a  vicious  or  a  too  much  indulged 
one.  Now,  as  to  the  ways  and  m*eans. 
5 


66  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"There  are  school-ships,  where  boys  are 
carefully  and  humanely,  even  gently,  trained 
to  be  good  seamen.  For  instance,  Lieut. 
Robert  Berry's  ship,  the  St.  Mary's,  in  New 
York  harbor.  But  the  after-lot  of  these 
boys  is  cast  entirely  in  the  foke'sel  [fore- 
castle], and  they  never  rise  to  higher  grades 
than  gunners,  quartermasters,  bosens  and 
mates, — unless  they  have  served  their  time 
in  the  U.  S.  Navy,  they  quit  it  and  go  into 
the  merchant  service.  My  old  Commander, 
Porter,  thought  this  unadvisable,  and  bade 
me  say  that,  if  you  can  bring  your  mind  to 
it,  he  will  do  all  he  can  to  get  Bob  an 
appointment  at  the  Naval  Academy.  There 
he  will  receive  a  brilliant  professional 
education,  will  be  under  strict  but  reason- 
able discipline,  and  will  be  well  developed, 
physically  and  mentally.  He  will  be 
there  four  years;  and  if  by  that  time 
his  taste  changes,  he  has  only  to  give  a 
few  years'  service  to  the  Government,  and 
then  resign." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  67 

Bob's  mother  paled  visibly,  and  trembled, 
while  the  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes. 

"O  Father,  my  only  son!" 

"Yes,  madam;  I  know.  But  he's  a  good 
lad,  and  dutiful.  Couldn't  you  make  a  sac- 
rifice for  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  ask  me  now!  Must  I  decide  at 
once? — can't  I  see  you  again?  " 

"Not  after  to-day." 

"But  his  religion!  They  say  the  officers 
are  so  wild  and  dissipated!  " 

"His  religion  will  not  be  interfered  with, 
you  may  depend.  I  inquired  particularly 
into  that.  And  as  to  dissipation  and  bad 
habits,  while  there  are  unfortunately  many 
who,  having  no  sheet-anchors  in  the  way  of 
faith  and  strong  principle,  do  go  adrift, 
there  are  others  whose  examples  are  '  as 
lamps  to  the  feet'  of  those  among  whom 
they  walk.  Look  at  Admiral  Sands.  * — '  an 
officer  and  a  gentleman,'  if  one  ever  trod  a 
deck  !  Ah  !  Madam,  those  words  mean  a 

*  A  Catholic  officer,  who  died  some  months  since, 
in  Washington. 


68  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

good  deal,  and  I  think  Bob  can  grow  up  to 
their  full  measure." 

"  Give  me  till  this  evening — only  till 
then!"  she  begged. 

"  I  must  say  good-bye  now,  but  I  shall 
hope  to  hear  from  you.  God  bless  you  and 
yours! " 

And,  with  a  cordial  hand-grasp,  he  was 
gone  from  among  us. 

Bob's  mother  went  to  her  room  and  locked 
herself  in — to  say  her  Beads,  I  knew,  and  to 
seek  the  prayers  and  counsel  of  that  other 
Mother,  to  whom  the  sorrowful  and  per- 
plexed can  always  turn,  sure  of  relief  and 
comfort. 

I  met  Bob  at  the  door.  He  halted  at  the 
sight  of  my  sober  face. 

"  Where's  Father  Jerome ?  Gone!  Why 
didn't  you —  But  halloo,  Aunt  Nell!  what's 
up?" 

When  I  told  him,  he  said:  "Is  that  so? 
Well  I  reckon  I'll  go  say  some  prayers  too, 
for  this  certainly  is  the  turning-point.  I 
finished  my  Novena  yesterday." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  gg 

And  up  he  bolted  to  his  room,  where  I 
saw  him  a  few  minutes  later  kneeling  before 
a  print  of  Our  Lady  (which  was  wedged 
between  his  handsomest  ship  and  his  most 
blood-curdling  sea-fight — -the  place  of  honor 
in  his  boyish  mind),  with  a  string  of  "  Job's 
Tears"  slipping  fast  through  his  fingers; 
for  our  boy  would  be  nautical  even  in  his 
prayers,  and  preferred  the  little  sea-weed 
bladders  to  any  other  kind  of  rosary. 

That  night,  when  his  mother  gave  her 
consent  to  his  going  to  the  Academy,  he 
was  almost  as  much  overcome  as  she  was, 
and  could  scarcely  be  gentle  and  tender 
enough  with  her  to  show  his  appreciation. 
He  rode  over,  full  tilt,  to  see  Father  Jerome 
at  day -break,  and  within  ten  days  a  notifi- 
cation came  to  him  to  appear  before  the 
Examining  Board  at  Annapolis  in  Sep- 
tember, to  compete  for  a  position  as  cadet 
midshipman  in  the  U.  S.  Navy."  The 
same  mail  brought  a  letter  from  Captain 
Gorringe,  recommending  certain  studies  ; 
and  the  express  brought  a  lot  of 
books,  into  which  Bob  plunged  con  amove. 


70  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

As  the  day  of  departure  drew  near,  the 
house  got  damper  and  damper;  for  Bob's 
mother  and  I  cried  in  secret,  in  public,  and 
incessantly.  Even  he  forgot  to  whistle 
"  Nancy  Lee,"  or  "  Old  Timbertoes  " ;  and 
the  only  nautical  music  we  had  was  a 
quavering  appeal  to 

"  Wrap  me  up  in  my  tarpaulin  jacket, 
And  say  a  poor  buffer  lies  low." 

And  one  bright  morning  saw  us  on  the 
platform  of  the  depot,  choked  with  sobs, 
blinded  with  tears,  and  waving  two  soaked 
handkerchiefs  at  our  boy  as  he  disappeared 
on  his  way  to  Annapolis. 


VIII. 

% 

THE  next  few  days  were  as  blank  as  the 
eyes  of  a  statue  ;  and,  to  make  matters 
worse,  an  easterly  gale  set  in,  which  filled 
the  air  with  clouds  of  mist  and  flying  rain. 
I  quite  declined  to  look  at  myself  in  the 
glass,  I  was  such  a  tear-stained  object  ; 
and  Bob's  mother  was  my  damp  fac-simile, 
besides  being  too  miserable  for  utterance. 

The  sunshine  and  his  first  letters  came 
together ;  and  as  we  turned  page  after  page, 
we  decided  there  might  be  worse  things  in  a 
family  than  a  sailor,  although  I  must  con- 
fess we  could  not  at  that  time  imagine  what 
they  were.  The  boy  was  as  happy  as  youth 
and  hope  could  make  him,  and  as  he  found 
at  every  turn  some  object  bearing  on  his 
heart's  dearest  wish, —  his  "  vocation," — 
everything  was  rose-colored  to  his  eyes. 

He  began: 

71 


72  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  Here  I  arn  at  last!  And  I  wish  you  and 
Aunt  Nell  were  along  too.  The  town  is  a  queer 
old  place,  built  like  a  wheel,  with  the  Court 
House  in  the  middle;  the  streets  running  out 
like  spokes,  and  a  big  '  all-around  '  street  like  a 
tire.  There's  channel  enough  in  the  Chesapeake 
to  float  heavy  ships  up  to  the  sea-wall  of  the 
Academy.  It  warmed  the  cockles  of  my  heart 
(see  Shakespeare  or  some  other  fellow)  to  see  the 
blue  jackets  and  marines,  and  to  watch  the  sails 
come  and  go.  There  aren't  many  of  the  Middies 
here  though,  for  the  ships  are  out  on  the  practice 
cruise. 

"  I  think  I  can  get  in,  for  Mr.  Dugald  gave  me 
a  little  sort  of  exam.,  and  he  said  a  few  weeks' 
more  '  boning  '  would  brace  me  up  to  the  mark. 
(That's  what  they  call  studying  here.)  He  says 
I'm  weak  on  '  math  '  (that's  mathematics),  and 
he's  giving  me  logarithms,  and  pons  asinorums, 
and  cube  roots,  and  other  nice  little  side-shows, 
till  my  hair  stands  on  end  like  the  '  quills  of  the 
fretful '  (there's  another  quote  for  Aunt  Nell; 
she's  always  telling  me  to  drop  slang  and  use 
good  English);  and  I  go  to  bed,  and  have  night- 
mares of  assorted  sizes. 

"  There's  a  fellow  here  studying  and  rooming 
with  me.  He's  a  queer  lot;  comes  from  the 
wilds  of  Michigan.  His  grandfather  was  a 
soldier  in  the  army  of  the  first  Napoleon  at 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  73 

Waterloo,  and  his  father  got  killed  in  a  log-jam 
the  year  Robertin  (his  name's  Robert  Robertin) 
was  born.  His  grandfather  was  kind  of  childish, 
and  his  mother  was  an  Indian  woman,  whose 
people  were  all  Catholics  from  the  time  of  Pere 
Marquette. 

"  She  was  awfully  cut  up  about  his  father's 
death,  and  turned  gray  that  night,  and  never 
spoke  much  afterward.  And  he  says  the  first 
thing  he  remembers  is  crouching  down  by  a  big 
log  fire,  with  the  dark,  sad  woman  spinning  on 
one  side,  and  the  old  white-bearded  man  on  the 
other,  and  listening  to  the  fire  snap,  and  the  wind 
and  wolves  howling  outside;  and  every  now  and 
then  his  grandfather  would  sing,  in  a  cracked, 
high  voice,  soldier  songs,  or  tell  stories  of  Na- 
poleon; for  he  could  remember  everything  up  to 
the  time  he  was  twenty-five,  and  not  any  more. 
Wasn't  it  queer  ? 

"And  sometimes  he  —  the  old  man  —  would 
begin  to  sing  low  under  his  breath  the  fa  Ira, 
but  he'd  always  shudder  and  shake,  and  never 
finish;  for  that  was  the  tune  his  father  had  gone 
to  the  guillotine  by.  He  was  a  lord's  steward, 
and  hid  his  master,  and  tried  to  save  his  prop- 
erty; and  they  executed  him  for  a  bad  citizen. 
On  the  guillotine  he  got  one  hand  loose,  and 
crossed  himself;  and  the  guard  struck  him  in  the 
face  so  hard  for  doing  it  that  he  broke  his  jaw. 


74  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  And  Robertin  never  had  any  children  to 
play  with,  or  any  toys;  and  he  knows  the  queer- 
est things  about  birds  and  beasts  and  fishes; 
and  he's  pretty  smart  at  his  books.  The  priest 
up  there  gave  him  lessons.  Robertin  did  his 
horse,  and  worked  in  his  garden  to  pay  for  them, 
you  know;  for  he's  mighty  independent,  and  he 
ain't  a  bit  ashamed  of  having  done  servant's 
work,  either. 

"  And  the  priest  hoped  some  day  he'd  be 
another  priest,  but  he  said  he  always  was  thinking 
of  getting  into  some  place  wide,  where  he  could 
breathe  good:  the  woods  smothered  him;  and 
when  he  first  saw  the  Big  Lake  (Superior),  he 
thought  that  was  it;  but  then  he  saw  it  on  the 
map,  and  it  looked  so  little  that  he  told  the 
Father,  and  he  said  :  '  Yes,  yes  :  it  is  the  sea  you 
want.  I  too  feel  so  sometimes;  for  I  came  from 
the  coast,  and  I  long  for  the  salt  and  the  sound, 
for  the  whirling  of  the  clouds,  and  the  play  of 
the  birds  and  the  white-caps.  But  that  is  in  my 
Brittany,  and  I — my  lot  is  here! ' 

"  Then  there  came  a  fellow  that  wanted  to  go 
to  Congress,  and  he  went  among  the  lumbermen 
to  get  their  votes;  and  when  some  of  'em  asked 
what  he'd  do  for  them,  he  said  a  lot  of  things — 
one  was  that  he'd  send  one  of  their  sons  to  the 
Naval  Academy;  and  he  saw  what  a  strapping 
fellow  Robertin  was,  and  picked  him  out.  He's 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  75 

only  seventeen,  but  is  six  feet  high,  and  broader 
than  Father  Jerome.  His  hands  are  like  steel, 
and  he  holds  his  feet  so  straight  when  he  walks 
that  he  looks  pigeon-toed,  and  he  steps  one  foot 
just  ahead  of  the  other.  His  eyes  are  black  and 
like  a  hawk's,  and  his  chin  is  as  square  as  a 
block.  He's  got  an  awful  temper,  but  he  holds 
on  to  it  like  grim  Death;  for  he  says  what's  the 
use  of  being  a  Catholic  if  you  don't  do  what  you 
are  told  ?  He  hates  swearing  and  drinking,  and 
says  lies  are  too  mean  for  a  man  to  tell.  He 
hasn't  got  much  manners — pokes  his  knife  in  his 
mouth,  don't  like  to  wear  collars,  and  that.  His 
French  is  correct,  but  a  little  queer  in  accent. 
His  English  though— oh,  my  !  it  does  get  tangled 
up  now  and  then  !  He  studies  like  a  steam- 
engine  ;  and  when  I  get  tired  and  yawny,  I  just 
look  at  him,  and  I  brace  up  right  off.  It  makes 
me  feel  like  Aunt  Nell's  '  Mr.  Wemmick,'  who 
thought  he'd  washed  his  hands  and  lunched  if  he 
badgered  a  client. 

"  Robertin  swims  like  a  fish,  and  is  teaching 
me:  and  I'm  learning  to  swing  clubs  and  dumb- 
bells. Your  loving  son,  BOB." 

The  second  letter,  which  came  in  the 
night- train,  was  delivered  at  the  same  time: 

"  I've  just  gone  all  the  way  through  the 
grounds.  It's  the  prettiest  place  I  ever  saw. 


76  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

The  whole  stretch  is  flat  as  a  table,  and  green  as 
velvet,  and  there  are  big  trees,  and  the  buildings 
and  quarters  are  scattered  around.  Old  Fort 
Severn  is  at  the  end  opposite  the  gate.  It's  the 
Gym.  (gymnasium)  now,  and  the  Boat-House 
with  the  paper  shells  and  the  fancy  singles  is  off 
near  the  Steam  House.  The  other  boats — lap- 
streaks  and  cat-boats — are  under  cover  by  the 
wharf,  and  the  balsas  and  catamarans  float  be- 
tween the  ships.  The  Steam  House  is  immense  ! 
I  don't  mean  big,  you  know,  but  swell,  and  be- 
cause what's  in  it  is  of  such  value.  Then  there's 
the  Gunnery;  I  think  I  like  that  best.  It's 
got  everything  in  it  that  shoots,  from  Mexican 
bronze  to  gatling  guns.  And  oh,  the  flag's  there 
that  Hugh  McKee  captured  at  Sun-tol-mok  ! 
He  was  a  young  Lieutenant  from  Kentucky, 
and  when  the  citadel  (it  was  in  the  Corea) 
was  attacked,  he  ran  ahead  of  all  the  storming 
party,  and  was  the  first  man  inside  the  works. 
He  reached  out  to  seize  the  flag,  and  one  Corean 
ran  him  through  with  a  pike,  and  one  shot  him. 
Then  the  blue-jackets  and  marines  came  swarm- 
ing up  in  the  face  of  the  gingalls,  stones,  shot, 
and  flying  dust  ;*  and  before  his  body  was  cold 

*  In  this  engagement  the  'Coreans  fought  with  most 
desperate  valor,  using  everything  they  could  lay  hand 
on  to  repel  the  assault,  even  picking  up  their  cannon 
bodily,  and  hurling  them  at  our  men ;  they  also  cast 
dust  by  the  handful  in  the  faces  of  their  assailants,  the 
close  hand-to-hand  conflict  making  it  possible. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  77 

the  fight  was  over,  and  the  flag  wrapped  around 
him.  It's  a  great,  enormous  square  of  yellow 
stuff,  with  a  big  black  dragon  romping  all  over 
it  ;  and  on  it  are  some  dark  stains  made  by 
McKee's  blood.  His  father  was  an  army  officer, 
and  got  killed  just  the  same  way  in  Mexico — the 
first  man  inside  the  enemy's  works,  and  shot 
down  before  he  could  grasp  the  flag. 

"  The  Seamanship  Room's  fine,  too.  Every- 
thing in  it  is  about  ships ;  and  there's  one  little 
thing  the  fellows  call  '  The  Teazer."  It's  a  flat 
round  block  with  all  the  points  of  the  compass 
on  it,  and  in  the  center  is  a  little  short  mast 
running  up  through  the  middle,  with  a  wooden 
sail,  and  the  sail  turns  on  it  like  a  pivot,  and  the 
fellows  have  to  tell  how  to  trim  and  set  sail 
according  as  the  wind  blows. 

"  But  I  reckon  maybe  the  Armory's  the 
prettiest,  after  all.  The  guns  stand  down  the 
sides  of  the  wall,  like  that  piece  of  Longfellow's 
which  Aunt  Nell  made  me  learn  once  : 

"  '  This  is  the  Arsenal.    From  floor  to  ceiling, 

Like  a  huge  organ,  rise  the  burnished  arms  ; 
But  from  their  silent  pipes  no  anthem  pealing 
Startles  the  villages  with  strange  alarms.' 

The  howitzers  are  set  in  the  middle,  and  the  cut- 
lasses and  bayonets  and  pistols  are  fixed  in  stars 
and  shields  and  triangles,  and  lots  of  pretty 
shapes,  between  the  gun-racks.  The  rammers 
and  sponges  stand  around,  and  there  are  the 


78  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

guidons  and  things.  The  big  cigar  torpedo  is 
here  too.  If  it  had  worked  all  right,  it  would 
have  been  something  like  that  jolly  Nautilus  of 
Jules  Verne.  But  it  didn't. 

"  Next  to  the  bloody  flag,  the  best  thing  I  saw 
was  the  boat  Lieut.  Talbot  *  made  his  journey 
of  i, 600  miles  in.  It's  only  a  gig;  and  it  was 
winter,  and  he  went  to  bring  help  to  his  ship- 
mates, who  were  wrecked  on  an  unknown  reef  in 
the  Pacific,  'way  out  of  the  track  of  vessels. 
Don't  you  remember,  Jim  McLean's  Uncle  Jack 
told  him  about  it,  and  he  told  me  ?  It  made  me 
feel  so  funny  to  look  at  it  and  think  about  it ; 
just  like  the  Captain  felt  when  he  left  home — 
'  a  marble  in  my  throat  that  got  as  big  as  an 
apple,'  and  the  tears  kept  coming.  I  was  sort  of 
ashamed  to  be  crying  that  way,  and  I  kept 
sniffing  and  gulping  and — blowing  my  nose,  till 
somebody  spoke  up  behind  me  :  '  Dawn't  be 
ashamed  o'  tears  like  them,  boy.  Men  as  old 
and  tough  as  me  piped  their  eye  when  Talbot 
died.'  I  jumped  like  sixty  ;  but  when  I  looked 
I  could  have  hurrahed  ;  for  there  was  a  regular- 
built  old  salt — one  of  Father  Jerome's  '  shell- 

*  For  Talbot's  daring  and  fatal  journey,  see 
"THE  AVE  MARIA"  of  July  11, 1885. 

The  boat  is  now  [I  hear  to  my  great  regret]  on  the 
Pacific  slope,  where,  however,  it  is  preserved  with  care 
and  veneration. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  79 

backs.'     He  made  me  think  of  the  old  chap  in 
the  '  Bab  Ballads,'— 

' '  '  His  hair  was  weedy,  his  beard  was  long, 
And  weedy  and  long  was  he.' 

I'm  going  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance. 

"  I  went  to  the  chapel  to  see  the  tablet  to 
Lieut.  Talbot ;  and  I  tell  you  it's  a  mighty  sol- 
emn thing  to  think  if  you  do  any  special  service 
or  any  good  thing  for  your  Government  or  your 
shipmates,  that  your  name's  put  up  for  every- 
body to  read  and  honor  as  long  as  people  last. 
It  sort  of  pokes  you  up  with  a  sharp  stick,  and 
makes  you  feel  you  mustn't  be  satisfied  to  just 
lump  along,  or  drift  with  the  tide. 

"  There  are  some  big  monuments.  The  best 
one  is  to  Herndon — the  fellow  that  stood  on  the 
bridge  of  his  ship  and  went  down  as  calmly  and 
bravely  as  if  he  were  going  into  port.  The 
Tripoli  fellows  have  a  daisy  one  too.  One  of 
them  was  a  midshipman,  not  more  than  eighteen 
years  old  ;  and  he'd  got  hold  of  a  spar  when  his 
ship  went  down,  and  was  floating  round  safely  ; 
but  he  saw  a  sailor  he  knew  struggling  in  the 
water.  He  couldn't  swim,  and  he  had  a  wife  and 
some  children.  So  the  young  fellow  shoved  the 
spar  to  him,  and  said  (it  would  only  float  one): 
'  Take  it,  Jack  ;  for  you  have  a  wife  and  chil- 
dren ;  there  isn't  anybody  dependent  on  me.' 
And  then  he  raised  his  hands,  and  joined  them 


80  MIDSHIPMAN  BOD. 

over  his  head,  and  looked  up  once,  and  said  : 
'  God  have  mercy  on  my  soul !  '  Then  he  sank, 
and  never  came  up  any  more. 

"Your  loving  BOB." 

How  we  talked  over  those  letters  !  They 
were  read  and  re-read,  until  before  the  first 
week  was  out  they  began  to  look  worn  and 
old.  We  thought  with  always  increasing 
satisfaction  of  the  "  queer  lot "  from  Michi- 
gan, and  were  glad  our  boy  was  associated 
with  such  a  safe  acquaintance  during  the 
anxious  days  preceding  the  examination. 

That  examination  !  I  think  Bob's  mother 
was  tempted  daily  to  pray  that  he  would  not 
pass,  so  she  could  have  him  home  again,  but 
she  bravely  conquered  herself,  and  we  said 
the  Rosary  every  morning  for  his  success. 


IX. 

AFTER  two  anxious  weeks  came  a  telegram  : 
"  Passed.     Average  98.     Hurrah  !        BOB." 

Father  McDonald  himself  brought  it  from 
the  station,  so  we  could  have  it  the  sooner  ; 
and  he  seemed  as  pleased  as  we  were  at  the 
good  news  it  contained.  Our  first  impulse 
was  to  pack  a  valise  and  rush  immediately 
to  Annapolis,  but  he  advised  us  not  to  go 
until  Bob  was  fairly  settled.  So  we  con- 
tented ourselves  with  sending  telegrams, 
writing  copious  letters,  and  packing  off  a 
hamper  of  substantials  and  sweetmeats  that 
would  have  given  our  boy  dyspepsia  for  a 
week  if  such  a  disease  Avere  catalogued 
"in  the  bright  lexicon  of  youth." 

His  letters  continued  to  be  the  chief 
events  of  our  life,  and  were  watched  for,  and 
talked  about,  and  quoted,  until  I  expect  our 
friends  wished  the  dear  fellow  would  ship 
aboard  the  Flying  Dutchman — a  craft  which 
6  81 


82  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

(I  learned  from  Marry att)  never  reaches 
port,  but  sails  and  sails,  baffled,  beaten  back 
seaward  from  every  harbor  ;  driving  always 
in  the  teeth  of  the  fiercest  gales  ("sailing 
in  the  wind's  eye,"  he  called  it) ;  and  as  its 
crew  speak  the  Dutch  of  Van  Tromp  and 
Barnevelt,  but  few  can  understand  the 
ghostly  skipper's  hails  ! 

As  soon  as  our  boy  passed  his  examina- 
tion— before  he  got  his  commission,  before 
even  a  seam  of  his  uniform  was  sewed — he 
began  to  speak  of  the  Navy  as  "  we,"  and, 
allowing  for  a  certain  amount  of  innocent 
swagger,  he  learned  the  deeper  lesions  of 
his  new  life  well.  For  instance,  in  one  let- 
ter he  said  : 

"  Robertin  and  I  went  out  sailing  to-day  in  a 
cat-boat  with  old  Haxall.  He's  the  greatest  old 
fellow  !  You  ought  to  see  the  knots  he  can  tie, 
and  the  embroidery  he  can  do  —  stars,  shields, 
and  mermaids.  You'd  just  laugh  to  see  him  at 
it.  His  thimble  is  a  strap  of  leather  wrapped 
around  his  palm  and  tied  with  a  string  on  the 
back.  At  the  thick  part  of  his  thumb  the  leather 
stands  out,  and  on  that  is  a  flat,  roughened  piece 
of  brass.  He  sticks  the  needle  in  with  his  fin- 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  gg 

gers,  and  then  shoves  away  with  his  palm-thimble, 
and  he  sews  as  quick  as  winking.  And  he's  just 
a  regular  picture-gallery,  he's  so  tattooed.  He's 
got  a  full-rigged  ship  on  his  right  arm,  and  a 
mermaid  by  that ;  and  a  sailor  and  a  girl  dancing 
a  hornpipe  on  the  other,  with  a  pair  of  American 
flags  crossed  over  them,  and  a  shield  under 
them.  And  he's  got  a  crucifix  over  a  foot  long 
on  his  breast.  He  isn't  a  Catholic,  but  it  was 
put  there  by  an  old  Spanish  sailor  at  Minorca,  so 
he'd  be  sure  of  Christian  burial  if  he  was  wrecked 
in  the  Mediterranean,*  or  on  the  South  Ameri- 
can coast,  or  on  the  shores  of  any  Catholic 
country. 

"  Where  was  I  ?  Oh,  yes  !  We  were  out 
sailing,  and  when  we  came  back  we  saw  standing 
on  the  wharf  a  little  man  with  great  big  black 
eyes,  sharp  features,  and  gray  hair.  Haxall 
touched  his  hat  and  bobbed  his  head,  and  the 
little  man  smiled  a  quick,  short  smile,  and  nod- 
ded, and  when  we  got  by  he  said  : 

"'Young  gentlemen*  (you  see  we  belong  to 
the  Navy  now,  and  he  doesn't  call  us  boys  any 
more),  'thar's  the  bravest  man  in  the  United 
States  sarvice.' 

"'Who  is  he?    What  did  he  do?'     I  asked, 

*Foreign  Catholic  sailors  always  have  some  symbol  of 
their  faith  tattooed  on  them,  to  secure  this  privilege  and 
the  prayers  and  benefits  of  the  Church. 


84  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

scenting  a  story,  and  keen  for  it.  And  Rober- 
tin's  big  hawk-eyes  turned  on  him  like  gimlets. 

"  '  Nussed  about  thirty  cases  o'  small-pox  all  by 
hisself  in  a  furrin  country,  and  wolunteercd  fur  it 
too  ! ' 

"'But,'  I  stuttered,  'I  thought  he  was  an  offi- 
cer or  something ! ' 

" '  Is  an  officer — a  doctor,  and  the  gamiest 
chap  ever  /  see,  and  one  of  the  affablest.  He'll 
take  off  a  leg  or  a  arm  as  pleasant  and  quick, 
and  let  the  bombs  and  the  shot  roar  round  jist  as 
ef  it  were  a  picnic.  I  seen  him  during  the  war  a 
few  times.  And  my  son  Biram  were  out  in 
Europe  with  the  fleet  when  it  all  happened  'bout 
the  small-pox.  Thar  was  a  lot  of  our  wessels  up 
in  the  North  Sea,  and  fust  thing  they  knowed 
the  small-pox  broke  out  furious.  The  men  kept 
a-dropping  with  it,  and  presently  the  officers  be- 
gun to  ketch  it.  Thar  was  one,  Biram  says,  as 
harnsome  as  a  picter — a  Leftenant  Mason — and 
he  got  it  too.  But  fast  as  they'd  git  it  they'd  be 
lifted  in  their  hammocks  and  put  ashore  at  Flush- 
ing, whar  they  was  laid  in  a  old  sail-loft,  and 
left.  The  doctor  of  the  ship  that  had  the  most 
cases  was  off  on  leave  in  London,  and  the  other 
doctors  didn't  appear  over-anxious  to.  take  much 
'sponsibility  ;  so  then  up  Doctor  Turner  comes 
a-sailin',  and  says  '  I'll  go  ' ;  and  go  he  did.  He 
were  put  ashore  'bout  two  bells  in  the  arternoon, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  §5 

and  when  he  come  to  a  certain  pint  he  turned  to 
Biram  and  says  :  '  Go  to  the  burgo — something 
(some  sort  of  a  mayor  or  governor)  and  say  my 
stores  and  supplies  must  be  put  on  this  stone, 
and  that  people  mustn't  come  any  farther.  I'll 
leave  my  orders  every  night  and  morning,  and 
they  can  get  them ;  then  I'll  expect  them  twice  a 
day.' — 'Aye,  aye,  sir,"  says  Biram,  and  moves  off 
brisk  ;  fur,  while  he  was  sorry  to  leave  the  doc- 
tor, he  were  purty  well  satisfied  to  git  out  o'  the 
way  o'  that  lazaret. 

"  '  Arterwards,  Jim  Haines,  one  of  the  men  the 
doctor  nussed,  told  Biram  all  about  it.  He  says 
they  was  layin'  thar:  some  on  'em  conscious,  some 
on  'em  howlin'-crazy  with  fever,  and  some  on  'em 
a-rollin'  and  a-tossin',  and  jist  clawin'  the  flesh 
off  their  faces,  when  in  steps  the  doctor  '  My 
God  ! '  says  he,  low  and  horrified — '  my  God,  what 
an  awful  sight ! '  And  he  steps  up  to  the  fust 
sensible  [sane]  man,  and  says,  '  What  have  you 
had  to  eat  ? ' — '  Nawthin',  says  the  man,  heavy  and 
stupid. — '  Why  not  ? '  says  he,  sharp  as  a  razor. — 
'  Thar  ain't  anything.' — '  What ! '  says  he  ;  '  well, 
we'll  fix  that.'  And  out  he  sails. 

"'Thar  was  a  man  a-goin'  along  off  in  the 
fields,  wi'  a  big  can  in  his  hand,  and  the  doctor 
hails  him,  and  arsks  him  what's  he  got  thar ;  and 
the  man  says  '  Buttermilk '  ;  and  the  doctor  says 
he  will  buy  it,  and  for  him  to  put  it  thar,  pintin'to 


86  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

the  big  stone.  And  when  the  man  puts  it,  the 
doctor  tells  him  ef  he'll  bring  a  bar'l  o'  lime  and 
two  breshes  he'll  pay  him  fur  it ;  and  the  man 
brings  it.  But  'tween  whiles  the  doctor  rakes 
round  and  finds  an  old  biler  an'  an  old  coffee-pot, 
and  gits  a  bag  o*  coffee  out  of  his  own  stores. 
And  fust,  he  gives  the  men  the  buttermilk,  tell 
the  coffee's  done  a-makin'  in  the  biler, —  them 
a-drinkin'  out  o'  the  spout,  and  the  doctor 
a-holdin'  of  'em  up  in  his  arms.  Then  he  washes 
out  the  pot,  and  gives  'em  coffee  all  around  ; 
and  by  that  time  his  flannel  blouse  was  in  sich  a 
awful  mess  he  had  to  burn  it  up,  and  he  was 
that  overcome  with  the  smells  and  sights  he 
'most  faints.  But  he  goes  ahead,  and  biles  up  a 
lot  o'  water,  and  puts  it  in  a  slush-bucket,  and 
goes  aroun'  and  washes  off  them  men  as  ef  they 
was  babies.  Then  he  arsks  ef  there's  any  more 
of  'em,  and  one  man  says  yes,  in  the  riggin'-loft. 
He  starts  out  to  go  up  into  the  riggin'-loft,  and 
the  whole  ship's  crew  of  "em  sets  up  a  yell  for 
God  A'mighty's  sake  not  to  leave  'em;  and  the 
fever-crazy  ones  jines  in  the  yellin',  cause  the 
others  hollos  ;  so  'twas  most  like  a  menage-/-/. 
The  doctor  he  winks  the  tears  off  his  eye-wink- 
ers, and  says  he  wouldn't  leave  'em  for  nawthin"; 
but  he  must  go  up  and  give  their  shipmates  some- 
thin'  to  eat,  and  wash  'em  down,  and  he  does ; 
when  he  gits  through  he  comes  down,  and  wheels 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  $7 

in  that  thar  bar'l,  mixes  up  the  lime,  and  white- 
washes that  thar  place  fore  and  aft. 

" '  And  he  keeps  that  up  for  fourteen  blessed 
days,  havin'  to  burn  the  blouses  he  wears  every 
day,  they  bein'  sich  a  sight  from  his  liftin'  and 
holdin'  and  nursin'  them  poor,  festered  chaps  ; 
and  the  only  help  he  had  was  from  sich  of  the 
men  as  wasn't  too  sick  to  git  about.  And  he 
saves  'em  all  ;  and  that  thar  lef tenant  warn't 
even  scarred. 

"  '  And  when  it  was  all  over,  you  jist  oughter 
seen  the  lumpin'  big  set  o'  silver  the  fleets  [Ameri- 
can and  English]  give  him,  with  a  'scriptiort  cut 
with  flourishes  ;  and  everything  topped  off  wi'.a 
big  dinner,  and  speeches,  and  a  hip,  hip,  hurrah- 
ing fit  to  blow  off  your  head.  Yes,  sir,  that  thar 
man's  a  'onor  to  his  cloth.' 

"I've  tried  to  tell  it  just  as  he  did,  and  Rob- 
ertin  has  helped  ;  but  it  loses  half  of  what  it's 
worth  not  to  see  him  tell  it.  He  spins  first-rate 
yarns.  Here's  another  : 

"  There's  a  little  Ass't-Paymaster  here  who  is 
as  airy  as  all  out-doors.  He's  so  bent  upon  hav- 
ing people  pay  him  proper  respect,  that  he 
makes  a  regular-built  goose  of  himself.  He  puts 
on  an  awful  lot  of  style,  and  if  you  don't  treat 
him  as  if  he  was  a  Port- Admiral,  he  nearly  blows 
the  place  up  root  and  branch.  One  day  he  was 
going  by,  and  Haxall  either  didn't  smile  at  him 


88  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

or  did  smile  at  him,  or  didn't  bow  low  enough 
to  suit  him,  or  something,  but  he  turned  on  him 
in  a  towering  rage,  his  voice  actually  trembling, 
and  told  him  he'd  teach  him  to  treat  his  superior 
officers  with  disrespect  (and  then  he  swore  a 
blue  streak),  and  that  he'd  report  him  to  the  offi- 
cer-of-the-day.  When  he  got  by,  Robertin  and 
I  both  told  Haxall  not  to  bother,  for  if  he  was 
hauled  up  we'd  testify  for  him.  'He's  like  a 
Quaker  gun,'*  said  Haxall  —  'piles  of  appear- 
ance, but  no  damage  done.  'Sides,  he  knows 
the  officer-of-the-day  would  have  a  'vestigation, 
and  he  knows  he's  used  language  onbecomin'  a 
officer  and  a  gentleman.  You  see,  swearin'  in 
action  or  a  gale  o'  wind's  one  thing,  and  when 
you're  cool  it's  another.  Respect  your  superiors 
is  a  fust  principle  in  the  sarvice,  but  I'll  be 
blowed  ef  it  don't  take  all  the  shoulder-straps 
and  brawss  buttons  goin'  to  make  me  remember 
some  o'  em  is  superiors,  the  way  they  behaves.' 

"  Then  he  was  quiet  for  a  few  minutes,  suck- 
ing at  his  pipe,  and  looking  down  the  river. 
After  a  while  he  began  again  : 

" '  Naw,  I  ain't  got  no  use  for  paymasters, 
and  greasers,  and  sich.  They're  good  in  their 
place,  but  when  it  comes  to  callin'  of  'em  Cap'n 
and  Leftenant,  an'  givin'  'em  salutes,  an  sich  a 
pile  o'  gold  lace  an*  jaw-tackle,  it  jist  turns  me 

*  A  wooden  cannon. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  89 

sick.  I  never  seen  but  two  that  suited  me,  but  I 
tell  you  they  jist  did  ! 

"  '  One  was  aboard  the  old  Varuna,  the  purtiest 
old  gal  that  ever  curtcheyed  to  blue  water.  She 
were  built  on  the  Mystic,  fur  a  blockade  runner, 
but  they  chaps  didn't  finish  her  in  time.  The 
war  broke  out  afore  she  were  off  the  stocks,  and 
then  the  owners  sold  her  to  the  Gov'ment,  and 
she  were  with  the  old  man's  [Farragut]  fleet 
down  on  the  Mississippi.  We'd  had  a  gay  old 
fight  a-passin'  the  forts  [Jackson  and  Philip]  ; 
and  the  Varuna  she'd  sunk  six  ships,  and  began 
to  go  down  herself.  We  stayed  tell  the  guns 
was  level  with  the  water,  workin'  to  git  the 
wownded  out.  We'd  stuck  to  it  in  the  sick-bay 
tell  the  dissectin'  tables  was  a-floatin',  and  cut- 
off legs  and  arms  was  a-cruisin'  'round  independ- 
ent. But  we  had  only  one  little  block  and  tackle; 
and  this  fellow — he  was  the  paymaster's  clerk, 
and  his  name  were  Benjamin  F.  D.  Fitch — jist 
stood  in  the  companion-way  and  says,  '  Hist  'em 
on  my  back  ';  and  he  took  the  last  three  or  four, 
by  turn,  and  carried  'em  up  to  safety.  Then  we 
was  told  off  for  the  boats,  and  what'd  that  chap 
do  but  go  tearin'  down  below,  sayin'  he  must  be 
true  to  his  trust,  or  some  sich  words  ! 

"'Well,  he  didn't  come  up,  though  we  was 
over  the  side  layin'  on  our  oars  a-watchin'  fur 
him  ;  and  the  old  gal  began  to  settle,  and  we  had 


90  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

to  pull  off  to  git  out  o*  the  suck  and  swell  she'd 
make  a-goin'  to  her  grave.  But  we  kep'  a  sharp 
lookout,  and  when  the  wet  was  a  pourin'  in  the 
scuppers,  up  he  conies  a-tearin',  and  fit  his  way 
through  the  water  to  the  mizzeri-mast,  and  be- 
gan a-climbin'  like  a  sailor-born,  hand  over  hand 
a-kitin'.  When  he  got  to  the  top  he  jist  hangs 
on  as  cool  as  a  cowcumber  tell  he  was  fetched 
off,  for  arter  all  the  old  gal  sunk  slow  and  on  an 
even  keel.  And,  ef  you'll  bleeve  me,  what  that 
thar  little  rooster  had  gone  back  for  was  $5,000 
— the  men's  pay — that  had  been  put  in  his 
charge.  And  he'd  stopped  to  pick  out  a  dupel- 
cate  roll,  so  he  could  keep  his  accounts  straight. 
That's  the  sort  o'  chap  for  me  every  time  !  And 
the  old  man  he  was  jist  tickled  to  death,  and 
permoted'him  right  off  for  gallant  and  mer'tori- 
ous  conduct.  And  he  desarved  it. 

"  '  The  other  were  a  dandy  chap,  named  Slamm. 
I've  heern  he'd  go  to  parties  in  a  swaller-tail  coat 
lined  wi'  white  satin,  and  wi'  lace  cravats,  and 
di'monds. — Fac' ! — But  ef  thar  war  a  fight,  they 
jist  could/it  keep  him  out  of  it,  though  paymas- 
ters is  expected  to  stay  in  a  safe  place.  One  day 
when  the  firin'  was  most  oncommon  heavy,  the 
cap'n  said  to  him  :  '  Mr.  Slamm,  will  you  go  be- 
low !  This  is  the  fifth  time  I  have  spoken,  sir.' 
'  No,  sir,'  says  he,  bold  as  brawss ;  '  no,  sir,  I  won't 
go  below.  I'm  a  non-combatant,  and  can  stay 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  9^ 

where  I  please  during  the  fight.'  The  cap'n  grin- 
ned. 'All  right,'  says  he  ;  'git  out,  and  if  your 
head's  blown  off  don't  blame  me  ! ' — An'  that  chap 
helped  worked  a  gun  tell  his  own  sweetheart 
wouldn't  a-knowed  him,  he  were  that  grimed  and 
smoked.  But  he  had  a  rare  good  time  crackin' 
his  jokes,  an'  showin"  his  little  white  teeth  ;  and 
arter  that  they  let  him  alone,  and  he  fit  where  he 
pleased  and  when  he  pleased.' 

"  Aren't  those  good  stories  ? 

"  I  got  a  letter  from  Father  Jerome.  I  send  it 
with  this ;  but  please  send  it  right  back,  for  I 
want  it ;  and  Robertin  has  asked  for  a  copy  of 
it ;  he  says  it's  a  good  Rule  of  Life. 

"  I'm  beginning  to  see  that  being  in  the  service 
isn't  only  brass  buttons  and  blue  water  and  hur- 
rah, but  a  work  for  life,  just  like  anything  else. 
And  I  mean,  with  the  help  of  God  and  Our 
Lady,  to  try  to  be  the  kind  of  '  officer  and  gen- 
tleman '  Father  Jerome  describes. 

"This  is  a  regular  'log' ;  I've  written  a  little 
every  day  for  nearly  a  week,  and  as  it's  Saturday 
I  shall  wind  up.  Your  loving  BOB. 

"  P.  S. — Can  I  have  a  mermaid  tattooed  on  my 
arm  ?" 

Father  Jerome's  letter  was  so  like  the 
man,  in  its  simplicity  and  earnestness,  that 
I  quote  it  entire  : 


92  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  I  am  heartily  glad,  my  dear  boy,  that  you 
have  begun  so  well.  Devote  yourself  to  it  with 
all  your  strength  and  energy  ;  for  to  be  'an  offi- 
cer and  a  gentleman '  requires  earnest  endeavor, 
great  watchfulness,  and  incessant  prayer.  Why  ? 
Because  in  order  to  fit  yourself  to  command 
others  you  must  have  yourself  well  in  hand  ;  to 
lead  others  you  must  become  an  intelligent,  pru- 
dent, and  brave  man  ;  to  fulfil  your  trust  before 
God  and  man,  you  must  set  a  good  example.  An 
upright  life  and  clean  habits  bring  not  only  the 
blessing  of  Heaven,  but  such  is  the  goodness  of 
God  that  they  yield  a  material  prosperity  and  re- 
ward on  earth.  In  your  dealings  with  men,  do 
to  others  as  you  would  be  done  by  ;  and  try 
always  to  keep  Mary,  the  Lily  of  Nazareth,  in 
your  mind,  as  the  standard  of  what  a  woman 
ought  to  be.  Steer  clear  of  bad  company,  for 
the  Wisdom  of  Ages  said,  '  By  their  fruits  you 
shall  know  them.' 

"  Take  your  fling  of  fun,  for  it  is  the  salt  of 
life, — real  fun.  But,  O  my  boy  !  beware  of  '  see- 
ing life,'  as  it  is  carelessly  called  ;  for  in  the  sins 
lightly  known  as  '  sowing  wild  oats  '  too  many  see 
death — aye,  and  taste  it  too,  body  and  soul. 

"  God  bless  you. 

"  Yours  in  Christ, 

"JEROME." 


X. 


TIME  was  flying  rapidly  now.  Only  one 
more  day  of  civilian's  life  lay  between  our 
boy  and  the  appointed  opening  of  the  Acad- 
emy. His  last  letter  was  a  budget,  and 
contained,  besides  a  resum6  of  all  his  hopes 
and  plans,  a  rapturous  account  of  the  entry 
into  port  of  the  training  squadron.  It 
bristled  with  technicalities,  and  we  lost  our- 
selves hopelessly  in  trying  to  pronounce 
and  understand  "  foretopgallant  -  sails," 
' '  spanker  -  booms, "  "  reefs, "  "  shrouds, ' ' 
"ratlines,"  "tacks,"  "peaks,"  "bobstays," 
and  "belaying  pins."  One  sentence  I  re- 
member, although  I  never  expect  to  under- 
stand it.  Here  it  is  : 

"  Isn't  it  funny,  the  smallest  thing  in  the  ship 
has  the  longest  name  !  I'll  spell  it  as  it  is  writ- 
ten :  '  Foretopgallant  studdingsail-boom-tricing- 
line-block  strap-thimble.'  Ain't  that  a  whizzer  ? 
But  you  must  pronounce  it  the  '  foreto-g'lant- 
stunsell-boom,'  etc." 

93 


94  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

He  told  us  also  the  story  of  good  Father 
Freitag,  the  priest  whose  touching  history 
teaches  of  a  martyrdom  as  noble  as  one  of 
rack  and  fire,  sword  and  block,  but  whose 
meek  hands  have  now  laid  down  life's  cross 
at  those  "Wounded  Feet  before  which  rank, 
fame,  affection,  and  worldly  honor  were  so 
gladly  cast  in  sacrifice  fifteen  years  ago. 

Bob's  narrative  ran  : 

"  There  was  a  Prussian  ship  in,  and  one  of  the 
junior  officers  died.  He  was  a  Catholic,  and 
they  brought  him  ashore  to  the  church,  and  had 
a  grand  Requiem  Mass.  A  lot  of  us  'plebes' 
were  there,  and  a  good  many  of  the  officers  ;  and 
it  happened  I  had  a  seat  that  was  in  the  side 
aisle,  but  on  a  level  with  the  Germans.  ^There 
was  one  man  with  the  handsomest  face  I  ever  saw, 
but  it  was  so  proud  and  sneering  that  the  good 
looks  were  somehow  spoiled  ;  and  he  seemed  so 
bored,  and  fidgeted  about  so  much,  that  I 
watched  him  a  good  deal  more  than  I  did  my 
prayer-book.  Father  Freitag  was  saying  Mass, 
and  once  as  he  turned  at  Dominus  vobiscum,  the 
Prussian  I  was  telling  about  had  just  squared 
himself  round,  and  was  staring  at  the  altar.  Sud- 
denly he  gave  a  start,  and  a  sort  of  shiver  went 
over  him ;  but  he  straightened  up  as  if  he'd 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  95 

swallowed  a  ramrod,  and  his  lip  curled  ;  and 
then  he  sat  tugging  at  his  mustache,  with  his 
eyes  half  shut,  all  the  rest  of  the  Mass.  When 
Father  Freitag  came  down  to  the  coffin, to  read 
the  burial  service,  he  spoke  a  few  words  ;  and  as 
his  eyes  moved  from  one  to  the  other,  they  fell 
on  the  officer  I  mean.  He  stopped  short  in  the 
middle  of  what  he  was  saying,  the  sprinkler  fell 
from  his  hand,  and  he  staggered  to  one  side,  so 
that  Father  Martin  caught  his  arm.  His  face 
was  white  as  chalk,  and  he  exclaimed  :  '  Du,  du, 
mein  bru — /'  There  was  a  great  hustling  and 
bustling  in  the  sanctuary,  but  the  officer  looked 
as  cold  as  ice,  and  swept  his  eyes  over  Father 
Freitag  as  if  he  was  an  ash-heap,  or  something 
else  not  worth  looking  at.  He  (Father  F.)  pulled 
himself  together,  and,  in  that  way  he  has — so 
gentle,  and  yet  so  firm  and  dignified, — waved 
Father  Martin  aside  with  a  few  thanks,  and  came 
to  the  coffin  and  finished  the  service. 

"Then  I  looked  closer,  and  began  to  see  that 
he  and  the  officer  were  as  like  as  two  peas, 
though  Father  Freitag's  hair  is  thin  and  gray,  his 
eyes  as  mild  as  that  picture  of  St.  Francis  that 
hangs  over  your  wash-stand,  and  his  mouth  so 
gentle  and  sweet ;  and  he  stoops  and  looks  old. 
Then  I  began  to  wonder,  and  when  we  got  out 
of  church  I  asked  Robertin  if  he  noticed  it,  and 
he  said  yes,  and  that  he  believed  they  were 


96  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

brothers  ;  for  somebody  told  him  Father  Freitag 
was  a  Prussian  count  or  baron,  and  had  a  great 
deal  of  trouble,  and  took  the  name  '  Freitag ' 
(it  means  Friday)  out  of  devotion  to  the  suffer- 
ings and  death  of  Our  Lord. 

''The  Commodore  gave  a  dinner  to  the  Prus- 
sians the  day  after  the  funeral  (they  were  going 
away  the  next  morning  at  daybreak),  and  some 

one  said  to  this  Lieut,  von : '  Sad  thing  about 

that  poor  fellow  yesterday.'  '  Ah,' said  he, 'is 
he  dead  ? '  '  Dead  ? '  said  the  other  man  ;  '  I 
should  fancy  so,  as  he  was  buried.'  '  Ah,  you 
mean  Von  Buschkirche  ;  I  thought  you  meant 
that  renegade  brother  of  mine,  who  created  a 
scene  by  fainting,  or  something  of  the  sort.'  '  Your 
brother  ? '  said  the  Commodore,  astonished.  '  Did 

you  not  know  ? '  replied  Lieut,  von .     '  How 

should  I  ? '  answered  the  Commodore.  '  Has  he, 
then,  actually  had  the  good  taste  to  conceal  his 
name  ?  Degenerate  in  everything,  a  disgrace  to 
his  race,  I  am  surprised  he  still  feels  a  thrill  of 
pride,  or  remembers  noblesse  oblige.'  'How,  my 
dear  sir,'  said  the  Commodore,  '  degenerate,  dis- 
graced ?  Why,  Father  Freitag  is  highly  respected, 
/always  thought  him  a  good  man.'  'Oh,'  said 

Von ,  carelessly,  '  he  has  never  committed 

murder,  or  arson — '  'And  he  is  your  brother  ?' 
went  on  the  old  Commodore.  '  He  was  my 
brother,'  said  Von  -  —  ;  'but  since  his  apostasy, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  97 

since  he  turned  Papist,  and  chose  to  herd  with 
an  ignorant  rabble,  and  has  adopted  the  garb 
and  life  of  a  priest,  he  is  marked  on  the  family 
rolls  as  one  dead.  I  should  not  object  to  it,  how- 
ever, for  I  succeeded  to  the  title  and  estates. 
But  it  is  an  uninteresting  subject.  Let  us  talk  of 
something  else.'  '  Excuse  me,  sir,  one  moment,' 
said  the  old  Commodore,  whose  heart  is  as  big 
as  a  74-line-of-battle  ;  '  it  can  not  be  possible  you 
mean  to  leave  here  without  seeing  your  brother  ?' 

'  That,'  Lieut,  von answered,  'is  just  what 

I  do  mean  to  do.  What  fine  roses  these  are  ! ' 
The  Commodore  snorted  like  a  grampus,  but  he 
was  in  his  own  home,  and  couldn't  do  anything 
but  shut  up  then  ;  but  he  talked  all  over  the 

place  about  it  when  Lieut,  von was  gone. 

Next  day  he  pegged  up  to  the  church,  and  called 
on  Father  Freitag,  and  this  is  what  he  says  about 
his  visit : 

" '  Egad,  I  opened  fire  as  soon  as  he  came  in, 
and  I  said, '  I  am  distressed,  sir,  I  am  grieved,  sir, 
that  any  man  calling  himself  a  sailor  should  be- 
have so,  sir  ;  and  your  own  brother,  too  ! ' — 'Ah, 
well/  said  he,  with  a  smile  so  confoundedly  sad 
that  it  twisted  my  heart-strings  into  a  knot — 'ah, 
well,  he  is  my  brother,  my  dear  brother  ;  and  it  is 
only  that  he  does  not  understand  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  the  Faith  ;  so  we  will  say  no  more  about 


98  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

it.' — '  But,  sir,'  '  I  said,  '  I  have  come  to  invite  you 
to  dinner,  to  meet  the  officers  who  heard  the  con- 
versation ;  for  we  wish  to  show  you  our  feeling  in 
the  matter.' — And,  confound  the  man!  though  he 
said  he  didn't  dine  out  any  more,  he  made  himself 
so  agreeable  I  stayed  a  full  hour  ;  yes,  sir.  I  tell 
you  these  Catholics  are  a  queer  lot.  They 
actually  seem  to  enjoy  trouble  and  suffering  ;  and 
as  to  giving  up  rank  and  position,  they  just  de- 
light in  it.'  And  he  puffed  away  like  a  jolly  old 
tug-boat,  and  now  he  can  hardly  say  enough 
about  Father  Freitag. 

"  Well,  to-morrow  I  begin  regular  studies, 
drills,  gymnastics,  and  hard  work  generally.  I 
have  read  the  regulations  until  I  know  them  by 
heart,  and  their  name  is  legion.  Some  of  them 
are  pretty  stupid  ;  for  instance,  it's  as  much  of  a 
'  break  '  to  leave  your  shoestrings  untied,  or  one 
button  of  your  coat  unbuttoned,  as  it  is  to  miss  a 
question  at  recitation,  and  you  get  a  demerit  for 
it  just  the  same  ;  but  Robertin  says  these  small 
things  train  the  memory,  and  that  a  well-ruled 
life  is  made  up  of  details.  He  expects  to  have 
an  awful  time  of  it,  for  he  isn't  up  in  the  little 
fads,  as  I  told  you  before  ;  and  so  he  looks  for 
'rough  weather,  and  breakers  ahead.'  But  he 
squares  that  jaw  of  his,  and  says  to  me  :  '  I  mean 
to  learn;  and  you,  Robert  [he  pronounces  it 
Ro-bair,  with  a  regular  French  twang],  must  help 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  99 

me  ;  for  I  see  you  are  as  the  others.'  He's  asked 
me  to  room  with  him.  There's  a  fellow  here  I 
like  tremendously,  and  I  had  meant  to  ask  him  to 
be  my  room-mate,  but  I  didn't  like  to  refuse  old 
'  Steady,'  and  so  that's  settled  ;  and  if  it  doesn't 
work,  why,  we'll  shift  at  Christmas. 

"  My  uniform's  come,  and  it's  a  beauty.  It  fits 
like  wax  ;  and  if  it  wasn't  for  the  pile  of  padding 
in  front,  it  would  be  as  easy  as  my  skin  ;  but  they 
have  to  pad  us  a  regulation-curve,  so  as  to  look 
well  on  the  parade-line  ;  and  so  there  you  are ! 

"  I  feel  tremendously  excited  about  to-morrow 
— 'the  thrill  of  life  along  the  keel,'  I  reckon  ;  for 
I  am  slipping  off  the  stocks,  you  know,  and  start- 
ing out  on  my  first  cruise.  Lord  grant  that  I 
may  prove  seaworthy,  and  fetch  up  in  the  port 
I'm  bound  for  ! 

"  After  this,  direct  to  '  Cadet  Midshipman 
Adair,  U.  S.  N.' 

"Your  loving 

"BOB." 


PART  II. 


I. 


IT  was  a  perfect  day  in  October;  or,  as  that 
irrepressible  young  person,  Cadet  Midship- 
man Robert  Adair,  put  it,  it  was  "tarred 
with  Autumn's  best  brush,  and  no  expense 
spared." 

The  soft  hills  of  the  Severn  rose  clear 
and  warm  from  the  blue  water;  the  trees 
were  flaming  in  red  and  yellow;  the  prac- 
tice-ships courtesied  lightly  to  each  other, 
as  the  white-caps  raced  in  from  the  bay; 
and  the  echoes  of  the  "hugag"*  drifted 
from  the  busy  Academy  grounds,  and  lost 
themselves  in  the  soft  silence  of  Cemetery 
Point,  where  so  many  of  the  officers  and 
seamen  "keep  their  last  watch  below." 

On  the  parade  ground,  near  the  Herndon 

*  All  the  calls  to  recitation,  drill,  etc.,  are  given  \\ilh 
the  bugle,  which  is  called  by  the  middies,  the  "hugag." 

100 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  1Q1 

monument,  a  division  of  the  corps  were 
going  through  howitzer  -  drill,  their  active 
young  figures  alert  in  every  muscle:  wheel- 
ing, swinging,  breaking  ranks  and  re-form- 
ing; while  the  glittering  brass  "barkers" 
ran  swiftly  after,  impelled  by  dozens  of 
sturdy  arms. 

Off  by  the  armory,  another  division  were 
going  through  infantry-drill,  their  white- 
gloved  hands  and  shining  muskets  flying 
through  the  air  at  each  word  of  command, 
as  if  moved  by  machinery.  Still  another 
division  were  tramping,  in  boat  crews,  down 
the  shaded  walks  to  the  sea-wall  for  boat- 
drill,  their  loose  white  canvas  overalls  and 
blouses  (with  their  numbers  and  surnames 
conspicuously  blazoned  in  black  paint)  giv- 
ing them  a  business  -  like  appearance,  in 
nowise  belied  by  the  dexterity  with  which 
they  slipped  into  their  places,  "  tossed " 
their  oars,  "let  fall,"  and  "gave  way." 

And,  finally,  well  under  the  lee  of  the 
armory  wall,  a  small  squad  of  six  "  plebes  " 


102  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

were  being  initiated  in  the  drill-mysteries 
by  a  senior  classman.  "  Eight,  left,  present, 
ground,  recover,  order,  parade  rest,"  over 
and  over  and  over  the  same  words;  and  in 
response  the  same  struggle  for  unanimity, 
and  the  same  imperfect  result,  until  the  call 
for  supper  sounded,  and  the  exhausted 
party  gladly  responded. 

Two  of  the  six  were  the  two  Roberts — 
Adair  and  Robertin;  another,  a  merry 
little  Japanese  named  Saito;  a  fourth,  an 
Irish  lad  from  the  public  schools  of  New 
York;  the  fifth,  a  melancholy,  dark-eyed 
boy  of  fourteen;  and  the  sixth,  the  fellow 
Bob  wanted  so  to  room  with  when  he  first 
entered — a  handsome,  audacious  youth,  with 
sunny  blue  eyes,  tip  -  tilted  nose,  bright 
color,  and  much  grace  of  bearing. 

As  they  came  out  of  the  armory,  after 
putting  their  muskets  in  their  racks,  and 
were  hurrying  to  "  formation,"  Dacre  Pey- 
ton whispered  to  Bob  : 

"I    say,    Adair,     that    'Kanuck'"    (the 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  103 

name  he  had  given  Robertin)  "  will  be  the 
death  of  me!  I  didn't  hear  half  Ludlow 
was  saying  for  looking  at  him.  Did  you 
see  him  grip  his  musket  as  if  it  was  a  well- 
sweep?  I'll  bet  you  one  to  five  he  left  the 
prints  of  his  fingers  in  the  stock." 

"  Oh,  he's  all  right,"  said  Bob,  smiling 
brightly,  and  hurried  along,  leaving  Peyton 
grumbling,  as  he  fell  back  to  chaff  the 
"  Kanuck " ;  but  the  latter  was  bending 
down  to  little  Dalrymple,  who  dragged  him- 
self heavily  along. 

"  What  is  it,  mon  gars?" 

"Nothing,"  answered  the  boy,  bravely; 
but  as  he  lifted  his  eyes,  Robertin  saw 
heavy  rings  under  them,  and  he  repeated 
the  question.  The  child  straightened  him- 
self, and  again  said,  "Nothing,"  and  it 
stopped  there;  for  just  then  Peyton  clapped 
him  on  the  back,  and  said: 

"Hi  there,  youngster,  step  out!  "What's 
the  matter  ?  Played"  out  ?  You  look  ready 
to  cry.  Well,  you  are  a  Miss  Nancy!  " 


104  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

The  little  fellow  shrunk  away  with  blaz- 
ing eyes,  and  a  few  seconds  later  they  all 
"  fell  in,"  and  filed  into  the  mess-hall,  with 
appetites  so  well  whetted  by  exercise  that 
there  was  small  chance  for  conversation 
until  the  half  hour  was  out.  Then,  just 
before  leaving  their  table,  Bob  said: 

"I  say,  old  Steady"  (his  pet  name  for 
Biobertin),  "how  do  your  arms  feel?" 

"All  right.     Why?" 

"  Well,  mine  feel  as  if  they'd  been  pulled 
out  of  place.  That  musket  must  have 
weighed  forty  pounds."  And  he  laughed 
bliihely. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Eobertin,  thoughtfully. 
Then  he  looked  up: 

"Eobert"  (he  always  pronounced  it 
Robair),  "did  you  see  that  little  one — Dal- 
rymple?  Look  at  him  now." 

And  Bob  saw  the  tired  face,  and,  more 
significant  still,  he  scarcely  touched  supper. 

"  He  looks  fagged  out.  Is  he  sick,  or — 
by  Jove,  no:  he  had  one  of  those  beastly 
heavy  guns,  too,  this  afternoon !  Why,  the 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  1Q5 

poor  chap  must  be  as  stiff  as  a  ramrod! " 

"That's  it,"  said  Kobertin.  "I  knew 
you'd  get  at  it."  (And  he  looked  affection- 
ately at  Bob.)  "But  we'll  make  it  right 
to-morrow.  Yes  ?  " 

"  All  right,"  said  Bob,  and  they  tramped 
off  to  studies. 

Their  division  was  quartered  in  Stribling 
Kow,  the  quaint  gray  houses  that  run  from 
the  steamship  building  (where  Andrew 
Jackson  and  the  British  Macedonian's  lion 
—  two  startling  figure-heads  —  guard  the 
front  door)  to  old  Fort  Severn;  and  as  they 
went  along,  they  heard  the  halting  tread  of 
little  Dairy mple's  feet  behind  them. 

"  Let's  wait,"  said  Bob,  impulsively. 

Robertin  nodded — he  never  wasted  words. 

"Well,  chappie,  pretty  well  used  up, 
aren't  you  ?  " 

"Yes,"  answered  the  boy,  hesitatingly; 
"  but  I  don't  mind  it,"  he  added,  quickly. 

"7  do,"  said  Bob;  "my  arms  ache  like 
sixty." 


106  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"Oh!"  said  little  Dairy mple,  his  eyes 
opening  wide;  then  he  looked  shyly  up  at 
Robertin's  great  shoulders  and  strong  face. 

Bob  laughed. 

"  You  needn't  look  at  him.  He's  tough  as 
brickbats,  and  thinks  it's  all  fine  fun." 

"Oh!  yes,"  said  Robertin,  with  grim  sar- 
casm; "it's  all  fine  fun,  especially  reduction 
and  solution  of  equations!  " 

"  O  I  don't  mind  ihai!  "  said  Dalrymple. 

"What!"  said  Robertin,  stopping  short, 
and  opening  his  great  hawk-eyes. 

"Whew!"  whistled  Bob. 

The  boy  looked  abashed,  but  said: 

"That's  nothing,  you  know;  for  I've  been 
at  Algebra  ever  since  I  was  a  little  chap." 
(Bob  grinned  at  this.)  "  But  the  drills  are 
what  get  me.  They  make  me  feel  so  queer 
and  heavy!  The  oars  are  so  long,  and  the 
guns  too.  And  to-day  was  worse  than  ever ; 
for  I  have  some  smashed  fingers." 

"  Let's  see,"  said  Bob,  and  he  took  up  the 
child's  hand,  looked  at  it,  ami  called  out: 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  107 

"  Steady,  look  here!  You  little  goose," — 
to  the  boy, — "  why  didn't  you  go  to  the  hos- 
pital this  morning  at  sick-call  ?  " 

"  And  have  them  think  me  a  Miss  Nancy, 
as  Peyton  calls  me?  I  hate  Peyton!" 

"  Chut,  gars!"  said  Robertin,  "that's  an 
ugly  word  to  say,  and  an  uglier  thing  to  do. 
Ah!  the  poor  little  hand,"  —taking  it  up, 
and  examining  carefully  the  torn  nails  and 
livid  bruises.  "  Come  and  have  it  dressed." 

"No,"  said  the  boy,  hanging  back;  "I 
don't  want  to  go  to  the  doctor." 

"  Well,  come  with  me,  then,  and  I'll  play 
doctor." 

And  the  three  hurried  along  to  "  Boffin's 
Bower,"  as  Bob  had  christened  their  room, 
"because,"  as  he  ingeniously  explained, 
"  there  isn't  anything  like  a  bower  about  it." 
*  Robertin  went  to  his  wardrobe,  hauled 
out  a  small  box,  and  began  unscrewing  a 
tin  case.  As  he  took  off  the  top,  a  pungent 
smell  was  diffused  through  the  room,  and 
he  came  toward  the  two. 

"This  is  something   an  old  squaw  gave 


108  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

my  mother  forty  years  ago.  She  said  it 
would  heal  any  bruise  in  twenty -four  hours, 
and  we'll  try  it.  But  I  have  no  bandage." 

"  Here,"  said  Bob,  tearing  one  of  his  best 
handkerchiefs  into  strips;  "  here  you  are !" 

And  he  stood  by,  watching  with  some 
surprise  the  skilful  and  expeditious  way  in 
which  Robertin  did  his  work. 

Little  Dalrymple's  face  relaxed,  and  he 
heaved  a  long  sigh  of  relief: 

"Thanks,  awfully!  And  if  you  do  really 
get  stumped  on  equations,  I'd  be  so  glad  to 
tell  —  to  show  you  —  that  is,  if  you  don't 
mind,"  he  ended  with  some  embarrassment. 

"Not  I,"  said  Robertin,  heartily;  "I 
thank  you." 

And  his  eyes  looked  so  kind  that  the  child 
smiled  back  with  light  and  color  in  his  face, 
showing  as  he  did  so  two  deep  dimples. 

"  Why,"  said  Bob,  "  what  a  pretty  little 
chap  you  are!  The  fellows  will  be  sure  to 
call  you  Dotty  Dimple  as  soon  as  they  get 
a  good  look  at  you."  (And  some  of  them 
did,  by  the  way,  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. ) 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  1Q9 

"Oh,"  said  the  boy,  distressed,  "don't 
put  them  up  to  it,  please!  " 

"I  won't,"  said  Bob,  promptly;  "honor 
bright."  And  a  glance  into  his  eyes  satis- 
fied the  sensitive  boy  of  his  truthfulness. 

"  May  I  see  how  your  pictures  are  fixed?  " 
said  he  to  Robertin,  as  the  latter  replaced 
his  box.  "  I  had  such  a  time  getting  mine 
to  stay  on  the  door;  and  I  was  mad  as  a 
hornet  when  I  found  I  couldn't  hang  any- 
thing on  the  walls.  It's  a  stupid  rule. 
Why  can't  we  have  pictures  and  things?" 

Bob  answered: 

"  You  see,  some  of  the  fellows  are  rich  as 
nabobs,  and  some  of  them — well,  some  of 
them  are  not ;  so  the  Secretary  said :  '  Sim- 
plicity is  a  good  thing  in  its  way,  and  uni- 
formity will  save  bad  feeling  and  envy  and 
debt.'  So  there  you  are!  " 

Kobertin  meantime  opened  his  wardrobe 
door  (the  inside  of  which  at  the  Academy 
always  serves  the  cadet  as  a  photograph 
gallery)  ;  in  its  center  was  a  cheap  but  well- 
colored  lithograph  of  the  Madonna  of  the 


HO  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Chair,  with  a  gray -haired,  sad-faced  woman 
on  one  side,  a  venerable  French  priest  on 
the  other,  and  a  cabinet  photo,  of  Bob. 

Dalrymple  looked  puzzled.  At  last  he 
said,  hesitatingly: 

"That's  pretty.     Who  is  it?" 

"  The  Blessed  Virgin,  the  Mother  of  Our 
Lord." 

"  Oh,"  said  Dal,  and  seemed  more  puzzled 
than  ever. 

"You  are  not  a  Catholic,  I  reckon?"  said 
Bob. 

"No;  no  indeed!" 

"  But,"  said  Bob,  "  of  course  you  know 
something  about  Our  Blessed  Lady?" 

"No;  I  don't.  You  see,"  said  the  boy, 
confidentially,  "  I  never  had  anybody  talk 
religion  to  me,  any  way ;  for  my  mother  died 
when  I  was  a  little  chap  like  that"  (point- 
ing to  the  Divine  Child),  "and  then  the 
house  was  shut  up;  and  father  didn't  do 
anything  but  sit  and  read  and  read,  from 
morning  until  night;  and  I  used  to  stay  all 
the  time  in  the  library,  and  read  too.  I 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

didn't  care  to  play  (there  weren't  any  chil- 
dren), so  I  just  stayed  around  with  father." 

Then  he  stopped.  "  The  Blessed  Virgin 
— let  me  see!  I  remember  something  about 
that  name.  Oh,  yes!  "  he  said  triumphantly, 
"  it  was  in  the  Koran!  " 

The  two  Roberts  looked  at  each  other 
aghast,  and  were  silent  from  sheer  dismay. 
The  Koran!  To  think  of  hearing  of  Our 
Lady  first  there! 

The  boy  glanced  from  one  to  the  other, 
and  flushed. 

"I  hope,"  he  said,  earnestly,  "I  haven't 
said  anything  you  mind  ?  I  wouldn't  be  such 
a  cad,  after  you  have  been  so  kind."  And 
his  big  eyes  went  pleadingly  up  to  Rober- 
tin's  and  then  to  Bob's. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  latter,  heartily, 
if  a  trifle  incoherently.  "  But  didn't  you 
ever  read  the  New  Testament?" 

"  No,"  said  the  boy,  musingly.  "  I  remem- 
ber something  queer  about  that  too.  I 
found  a  book  one  day,  and  began  to  look 
through  it.  In  every  picture  there  was  a 


112  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Man  with  a  face  as  sweet  and  gentle  as  my 
mother's  portrait "  (his  hand  went  toward 
his  throat  half  unconsciously),  "and  in 
every  one  of  them  He  was  doing  something 
kind.  And  in  one  He  was  sitting,  with  a 
crowd  of  little  children  round  Him.  I  liked 
that  so  much  I  picked  it  up,  and  went  to  ask 
my  father  about  it ;  and  as  I  went  I  saw  that 
name  on  it  —  New  Testament.  When  I 
showed  it  to  him,  and  wanted  him  to  tell  me 
about  it,  he  answered :  '  I  can  not.  It  is  a 
beautiful  delusion.'  Then  he  gave  a  great 
groan,  and  said:  'Oh,  to  believe!  oh,  to 
believe!'  and  then  he  fell  over  in  a  faint; 
and  I  never  dared  ask  him  any  more,  or 
show  him  the  book  again,  or  look  at  it  my- 
self." 

Here  he  stopped,  and  Bob  impetuously 


"  But,  I  say,  chappie,  you  ought  to  see  a 
priest — 

Robertin  interrupted: 

"  He  will  have  to  get  permission  from 
home,  Robert " 


MIDSHIPMAN  HOB.  H3 

"I  haven't  any  home;  father  is  dead," 
said  Dalrymple,  looking  up  from  the  picture, 
in  which  he  seemed  quite  absorbed. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Bob,  joyously,  "  that's 
all  right.  Ask  the  commandant  to  let  you 
go  out  to  church  with  us  on  Sunday,  and 
we'll  take  you  to  see  Father  Grotius." 

But  again  Eobertin  interrupted: 

"Perhaps  there  is  some  one  who  takes  his 
father's  place.  Discipline,  you  know,  and 
lawful  authority." 

"Eight,  old  Steady!"  said  Bob,  heartily. 
"  Have  you  a  guardian?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Dalrymple;  "but  he  won't 
mind.  He's  one  of  the  Stock  Exchange  in 
New  York,  and  doesn't  care  for  anything  but 
his  dear  '  shorts '  and  '  longs.' ' 

"Still,  it  is  better  to  write,"  said  Bob; 
"and  I'd  do  it  to-night." 

"  I  will.  There  goes  the  call  for  studies. 
Good-night!  "  And  off  he  ran. 


II. 

THE  next  day  was  Saturday,  and  as  the 
morning  gun  fired,  and  the  roll  of  the 
reveille  echoed  over  the  water,  the  Angelus 
sounded  from  the  bell-tower  of  the  church 
in  town.  Though  half  asleep,  Bob  instinc- 
tively crossed  himself,  and  began  the  beau- 
tiful prayer;  and,  as  he  said  it,  through  his 
mind  flitted  the  story  he  had  heard  the 
night  before. 

" Poor  little  beggar! "  he  thought.  "  No 
religion,  no  mother  here  or  up  aloft"  (he 
meant  Our  Blessed  Lady,  and  no  disrespect 
either);  "no  Sacraments!  Whew!  he's  in 
an  awful  way- 
Here  the  din  of  the  drum  ceased,  and  he 
sprang  up  and  into  his  uniform,  whisked  his 
room  in  order,  made  his  bed,  and  dropped 
on  his  knees  for  a  few  minutes  before  he 
and  Robertin  started  for  roll-call.  After 
this,  and  the  inspection  (in  the  course  of 
114 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  H5 

which  Bob  got  a  demerit  for  a  vest-button 
out  of  place,  and  Robertin  another  for  a 
loose  shoestring),  came  breakfast,  and  it  was 
during  this  meal  that  Robertin  said: 

"We  mustn't  forget  little  Dalrymple, 
Robert.  We'll  get  permission  to  see  about 
it  during  '  sick-call.' '  And  immediately 
after  prayers*  they  did. 

As  they  went  up  the  steps  of  the  comman- 
dant's office,  Robertin' s  Indian  blood  came  to 
the  surface,  and  laid  its  spell  of  silence  upon 
him.  "You  must  speak,  Robert,"  he  said; 
"  I  can  not  well  enough."  So,  as  the  two 
lads  stood  before  the  commandant,  Bob 
raised  his  eyes  to  the  somewhat  unamiable 
countenance  before  him  (the  officer  had  gout 
that  morning),  and  said: 

"We've  come,  sir,  to  see  if  we  can  get  lit- 
tle Dalrymple  off  from  drill.  " 

"Why,  Mr.  Adair?" 

*  Which  consist,  at  the  Academy,  in  the  recitation 
aloud,  by  the  entire  corps,  of  the  "Our  Father."  The 
young  men  stand  in  a  double  line,  just  before  leaving 
the  mess-hall,  and,  in  measured  tones,  voice  this  beauti- 
ful prayer,  which  is  selected  as  acceptable  to  all  creeds, 
and  peculiarly  appropriate  to  these  young  lives  needing 
guidance. 


116  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  He's  got  a  smashed  hand,  sir." 

"Send  him  to  the  surgeon,  then;  don't 
bother  me  about  it." 

"  But  he  won't  go,  sir." 

"  Won't,  eh  ?  And  sent  you  to  beg  him 
off?  He's  melingering.*  I'll  send  for  him, 
and  give  him  a  piece  of  my  mind ! " 

"Oh,  my  wig  and  feathers!"  said  Bob,  in 
great  dismay;  "that  would  be  awful! 
Please  don't,  sir.  Why,  he  doesn't  even 
know  we've  come,  and  he'd  be  as  mad  as 
Dick  Tucker  if  he  found  out! " 

The  commandant  was  somewhat  taken 
aback,  for  he  was  little  used  to  such  lack  of 
ceremony;  but  he  saw  no  disrespect  was  in- 
tended, and,  moreover,  people  rarely  failed 
to  be  attracted  by  Bob's  earnestness. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Mr.  Adair?  " 

"  Why,  sir,  last  night,  when  Steady — I 
mean  Robertin"  (and  Bob  blushed  at  his 
slip)  "  happened  to  find  out  his  hand  was 
hurt — he  was  cheering  the  little  chap  up, 
you  know,  sir — we  wanted  him  to  go  to  the 

*  This  is  the  term  in  common  use  at  the  Academy  for 
shamming  sickness  so  as  to  shirk  work. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  H7 

doctor,  and  he  just  vowed  point-blank  he 
wouldn't,  because  he  didn't  want  to  seem 
Miss- Nancy ish.  So  we  got  out  of  him  that 
the  drills  were  very  hard  on  him,  because 
the  muskets  are  so  heavy,  and  the  oars  so 
long,  and — and — that,  sir.  Then  Robertin 
said  we  must  do  something,  and  we  thought 
the  best  thing  was  to  come  to  you.  He's 
such  a  scrap  of  a  boy — 

"Who?"  said  the  officer— " Robertin? " 

At  this  Bob  grinned  in  the  most  appre- 
ciative manner,  but  answered: 

"No,  sir;  this  is  Robertin." 

"Well,"  said  the  commandant  (now,  that 
the  twinge  was  over,  he  rather  enjoyed  the 
simplicity  of  the  two  Roberts  in  bringing 
such  a  matter  to  him),  "what  do  you  want 
me  to  do?  I  can't  excuse  him  from  drill 
altogether.  What  would  you  suggest?" — 
turning  suddenly,  and  with  a  spice  of  malice 
on  Robertin.  He,  much  disconcerted,  looked 
at  the  officer  a  moment  before  answering. 
Then: 

"A  small,  light  bird-gun,  and  a  short  oar, 
until  his  muscles  come  up,  sir." 


118  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

The  commandant  seemed  surprised  at  the 
succinct  answer,  and  took  a  keener  look  at 
the  great  fellow,  with  his  square  jaw  and 
steady  eyes.  Then  he  nodded. 

"  We'll  see.  And  now,  my  lads,  it's  near- 
ly 8  o'clock ;  hurry  off  to  formation.  Before 
you  go,  though,  I'm  going  to  give  you  a 
piece  of  advice.  You  are  in  the  service,  and 
want  to  stay  in  it"  (Bob  nodded  emphati- 
cally) ;  "  and  discipline's  the  very  soul  of  it. 
Next  time  you  have  a  request  to  make,  do  it 
through  the  proper  channel,  and  follow 
routine." 

"It's  my  fault,"  said  Eobertin,  quickly: 
"  Eobert  did  it  f or  me." 

"No,  sir,  it  isn't,"  said  Bob,  with  equal 
haste;  "  if  there's  any  fault,  it's  mine." 

The  commandant  glanced  kindly  at  them, 
then  said: 

"  No  harm  done,  only  a  slight  irregu- 
larity." And,  as  they  saluted  and  hurried 
off,  he  stroked  his  beard  thoughtfully,  and 
said: 

"As  fine  a  pair  of  lads  as  I  have  ever- 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  H9 

seen.  Adair  will  make  a  dashing  officer, 
and  the  young  Hercules  is  as  steady  as  a 
church.  He'll  be  heard  of  some  day,  if  I'm 
not  mistaken.  Now  for  that  youngster." 

He  touched  a  bell,  and  sent  his  orderly  to 
fetch  up  young  Dalrymple. 

The  boy  was  called  from  the  black-board 
in  the  recitation-room,  where  he  was  demon- 
strating a  problem  in  a  clear,  brilliant  way, 
that  made  Commander  Baker's  blue  eyes 
twinkle,  and  his  classmates  stare.  He  hur- 
ried along,  rapidly  running  over  in  his  mind 
his  daily  routine,  and  wondering  what  was 
amiss.  As  a  result,  he  reached  the  office 
looking  paler  and  more  delicate  than  ever. 

The  commandant  fairly  started  at  the  fra- 
gile little  figure  that  stood  before  him,  with 
his  right  hand  carefully  held  behind  it. 

"You  wanted  me,  sir?"  said  Dalrymple, 
in  his  gentle  voice. 

"  Yes,  my  lad;  about  the  drill." 

The  boy's  face  flushed  scarlet. 

"I  know,  sir,  I'm  aAvfully  awkward  and 
.'low,  but  I  do  try." 


120  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"It  isn't  that,  but,  you  see,  you  are  so 
young  and  small —  He  hesitated. 

"Every  day  makes  that  better,"  said  Dal- 
rymple,  resolutely. 

"So  it  does,"  said  the  officer,  pleased 
with  his  spirit;  "but  don't  you  find  the 
muskets  heavy,  and  the  oars  unwieldy?" 

Dalrymple  half  opened  his  lips,  then  shut 
them  tight,  and  finally  said: 

"I'll  get  used  to  them." 

"  That's  no  answer.  Do  you — yes  or  no?  " 

"  Then— yes,  sir." 

"  Ah  !  by  the  way,  hand  me  that  book,  if 
you  please." 

Dalrymple  did  it  with  his  left  hand. 

"  Why,  how  is  this  ?  Are  you  left-handed  ? 
That's  what  makes  the  drill  awkward." 

"No,  sir;  but  my  other  hand — it  got — 
it's  a  little  hurt,  sir," 

"Let  me  see." 

And  Dalrymple  had  to  show  it. 

The  commandant  was  really  shocked;  for, 
while  the  old  squaw's  salve  had  done  much 
for  it,  it  was  still  a  very  bad  hand. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  121 

"  I  order  you  to  the  hospital." 

Dalrymple  looked  up  imploringly,  and 
few  could  resist  the  appeal  of  those  dark, 
soft  eyes. 

"Well?" 

"Couldn't  I  keep  up  recitations,  sir?" 

"  Well  !  well  !  "  said  the  commandant, 
testily  ;  "  yes." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  sir!"  said  Dalrymple. 

That  afternoon  in  the  workshops  a  very 
pretty  piece  of  work  was  done.  A  gunstock 
was  made  of  pine  wood  ;  a  tin  barrel  was 
fitted  to  it,  a  trigger  and  hammer  were  prop- 
erly mounted,  and  the  whole  was  painted 
and  varnished  ;  then,  toward  dusk,  "by  the 
commandant's  orders,"  it  was  quietly  slipped 
into  Cadet  Midshipman  Dalrym pie's  place 
in  the  gun-rack,  and  no  one  in  the  corps 
was  the  wiser.* 

And  this  little  act  of  kindness  was  the 
way  in  which  the  two  Roberts  began  their 
career. 

*  This  had  to  be  done  several  years  ago  for  a  little 
Philadelphia!!. 


122  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

A  week  or  so  later  Dalrymple  rushed  up 
to  Bob,  and  handed  him  a  letter. 

"It's  come  at  last!     Bead." 

It  was  on  the  thickest  of  Irish  linen  paper, 
bearing  the  stamp  of  the  Union  League 
Club,  and  was  written  in  a  heavy,  charac- 
teristic hand: 

"Mv  DEAR  BOY: — Go  where  you  please, 
except  to  a  Jewish  synagogue;  although,  come  to 
think  of  it,  I  really  do  not  know  why  /  should 
forbid  even  that,  if  you  wish  it.  I'm  not  much  of 
a  church-goer  myself,  but  I  approve  of  the  habit 
in  other  people;  for  religion  is  a  good  civil  stay, 
if  nothing  more. 

"I  hope  you  are  well,  and  I  enclose  a  check 
for  $50,  knowing  money  always  'comes  in  handy ' 
for  a  youngster.  Write  whenever  you  want  any- 
thing. Yours  faithfully, 

"  D.  J.  O ." 

And  Sunday  morning  the  three  started 
for  St.  Mary's.  It  was  All  Saints'  Day,  and 
the  altar  was  blazing  with  lights  and  flowers. 
As  the  clergy  and  choristers  filed  in,  and  the 
quiver  of  the  organ  woke  the  echoes  in  the 
vaulted  roof,  a  great  emotion  seized  Dal- 
rymple ;  as  the  sublime  Sacrifice  proceeded, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  123 

he  became  pale  with  the  depth  of  his  feeling. 
He  followed  every  movement  of  the  two 
Roberts,  and  listened  to  the  sermon  with 
eager  interest.  It  was  a  good  one  too,  its 
theme  being  the  grandeur  of  Christian 
heroism  as  compared  with  even  the  most 
splendid  triumphs  of  pagan  Greece  and 
Rome  and  the  glory  of  modern  heroes.  The 
priest  dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  short 
duration  and  the  empty  echo  of  worldly 
fame,  and,  in  contrast,  on  the  eternal  reward 
and  sublime  canticles  that  crown  and  greet 
the  spiritual  victor.  Then  he  spoke  lovingly, 
enthusiastically,  of  the  Queen  of  Saints, 
clothing  her  with  the  royal  regalia  of  her 
Son's  endowing  —  the  mantle  of  purity,  the 
crown  of  humility,  the  sceptre  of  mercy.  So 
the  dear  little  heathen  Dalrymple  learned 
more  in  an  hour  than  he  had  ever  heard  in 
his  life  before. 

After  Mass  they  went  in  to  see  Father 
Grotius,  who  received  them  so  pleasantly 
and  cordially  that  the  shy  child  was  won 
instantly.  He  talked  freely,  and,  with  great 


124  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

simplicity  and  directness,  gave  his  reasons 
for  coming.  Yes,  he  would  like  instruction; 
not  so  much  because  he  wanted  to  join  the 
Church — for  he  hardly  knew  what  that  meant 
— but  because  Adair  and  Robertin  were 
Catholics,  and  he  had  noticed  a  good  many 
things  about  them  different  from  the  other 
fellows,  and  he  liked  them  no  end.  What 
things  ?  Well,  they  just  seemed  to  take 
their  religion  for  every-day  use — they  kept 
their  tempers,  didn't  swear  at  things,  tried 
to  stop  quarrelling,  and  didn't  like  low 
stories.  "Why,  when  that  beast  Fl — 
(here  he  bit  his  lip,  and  begged  to  be 
excused  for  having  nearly  said  the  name ;  of 
course  he  didn't  mean  to)  "  began  to  tell  one 
the  other  day,  Adair  stepped  up  and  told 
him  to  clap  a  stopper  on  his  jaw-tackle — to 
stop,  you  know,  sir.  Then  the  fellow  said 
he'd  do  as  he  pleased;  and  Adair  told  him  if 
he  said  another  word  of  it  before  me  he'd 
knock  him  down." 

Here  Father  Grotius  looked  at  Bob  with 
a  twinkle   (he  and  Robertin  had  been  off 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  125 

talking  to  Father  Freitag),  and  said:  "Mus- 
cular Christianity,  eh?"  which  made  Bob's 
face  flame. 

Dalrymple  went  on:  "And  Eobertin  said 
he  was  right.  Then  when  I  told  him  I  was 
glad,  for  I  thought  such  things  were  awfully 
bad  form,  he  said  it  was  worse  than  that:  it 
hurt  the  soul."  All  that  sort  of  thing,  he 
added,  set  him  to  thinking  ;  and  yet,  some- 
how, they  didn't  poke  religion  at  you,  and 
weren't  solemn  and  slow,  and  so  on,  and  so 
on  ;  winding  up  by  saying  the  services  he 
had  just  attended  were  so  different  from 
anything  he'd  ever  heard  or  seen,  that  he 
wanted  to  come  to  church  any  way,  if  Father 
Grotius  would  permit  him. 

The  good  priest  led  him  to  speak  of  his 
home,  and  when  his  mother  was  named  the 
little  fellow  asked  him,  in  the  prettiest  way 
imaginable,  if  he'd  like  to  see  her  picture. 
Then  he  hauled  it  out  by  the  chain  that  was 
around  his  neck,  and  handed  it  to  him.  As 
Father  Grotius  looked,  he  turned  it,  and 
read  the  inscription  on  the  back;  his  face 
lighted  up  strangely. 


126  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  My  child,"  said  he,  "  do  you  know  what 
this  means?" 

"  '  Child  of  Mary '  ?  No,  sir,  I  don't;  and 
I've  often  wondered,  because  my  grand- 
mothers were  named  Judith  and  Margaret." 

"It  means  that  this  dear  young  mother 
was  a  Catholic,  and,  by  the  mercy  of  God, 
you  have  come  home  for  instruction." 

The  boys  were  deeply  impressed  by  the 
incident,  and  much  talk  followed  it;  and 
when  the  priest  gave  Dalrymple  a  medal  of 
Our  Lady,  he  strung  it  on  the  same  chain, 
and  returned  with  fresh  interest  to  the 
arrangements  for  receiving  instruction. 


III. 

THIS  bit  in  the  inner  lives  of  the  three 
boys  was  a  strong  bond  between  them,  and 
they  became  such  cronies  that  they  were 
called  Bruin  Major,  Bruin  Minor,  and  the 
Cub.  They  were  all  popular,  but  for  widely 
different  reasons — Bob,  for  his  fun,  which 
fairly  bubbled  over,  and  for  his  brains, 
which  reflected  a  certain  credit  on  the  class ; 
Dalrymple,  for  his  mathematical  genius  and 
his — prettiness;  and  Robertin,  because  he 
carried  off  the  champion  belt  from  the  first 
class  in  a  "  catch-as-catch-can "  wrestling 
match,  the  night  before  Thanksgiving. 

It  was  at  the  first  gymnastic  tournament 
of  the  year.  All  the  officers  and  their  fam- 
ilies, some  visitors,  and  many  of  the  towns- 
people were  present.  The  old  Fort  was 
crowded ;  and  when  Lanman,  a  sturdy,  well- 
built  first-classman,  stepped  into  the  ring, 
the  building  rang  with  applause.  He  had 
127 


128  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

many  friends  in  the  audience;  his  class- 
mates backed  him  to  a  man,  so  did  the 
second-classmen  (from  caste  prejudice,  as 
well  as  liking) ;  and  even  the  third-classmen 
were  divided,  although  they  and  the  fourth- 
class  are  supposed  to  hang  together. 

The  boyish  faces  of  the  latter  were  anx- 
ious ;  for  Robertin  had  not  yet  been  really 
tested,  and  Laninan  had  the  prestige  of  three 
years  of  victory.  However,  they  talked 
learnedly  of  "wind"  and  "grit,"  "muscle" 
and  "  brawn,"  "  trick  "  and  "  force,"  "  trip" 
and  "  fall  " ;  and  when  Bobertin  came  for- 
ward, his  head  well  back,  his  great  muscles 
in  relief,  they  fell  into  an  absorbed  silence, 
which  was  reflected  by  the  other  classes. 
Indeed,  there  was  a.  perceptible  thrill  and 
stir  through  the  place,  and  a  general  ques- 
tion as  to  who  he  was. 

The  two  stood  eyeing  each  other  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  after  shaking  hands, 
made  a  rush,  and  for  a  few  minutes  whirled 
and  turned  in  a  close  struggle,  but  without 
result;  and  this  was  repeated  again  and 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  129 

again,  until  Lamnan,  nettled  at  the  unex- 
pected opposition,  and  hot  with  the  "  tug  of 
war,"  lost  his  temper  a  trifle;  then  Robertin 
"  closed "  in  earnest,  and,  seizing  him  in  a 
grip  such  as  his  young  bones  had  never  felt, 
laid  him  neatly  but  smartly  on  the  hair 
mattress  provided  for  the  fall. 

Of  course  the  row  was  tremendous,  and 
Lanman  by  his  graceful  congratulations  to 
his  conqueror  won  to  himself  at  least  half 
the  honors  of  the  victory.  However,  he 
was  heard  to  say  in  private,  shortly  after- 
ward, that  his  ribs  actually  sprung  when 
Robertin  seized  him;  and  that  the  fellow 
must  have  learned  the  grip  from  a  grizzly 
bear,  for  he  couldn't  breathe  comfortably 
for  three  or  four  days,  from  its  effects.  And 
it  was  after  this  that  the  word  Bruin  be- 
came a  fixture  to  Robertin' s  name. 

Bob,  too,  was  good  at  gymnastics,  but  sea- 
manship was  the  joy  of  his  life,  and  he 
fairly  pined  for  Saturdays ;  for  on  that  day 
the  Wyoming  was  boarded;  the  class  in 
steam  engineering  got  up  steam,  and  ran 
9 


130  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

her  out  bayward,  where  the  middies  took 
possession,  made  sail,  maneuvered  her,  and 
worked  her  home  again. 

His  hours  spent  in  splicing  had  an  equal 
charm;  he  never  tired  of  hanging  around 
the  working  model  of  the  Antietam,  with  its 
tracery  of  ropes  and  lines,  and  its  cloud 
of  sail;  and  it  began  to  be  noticed  that  at 
recitation  whenever  a  fellow  halted  for  an 
answer,  Lieut.  Peck  would  sing  out,  "  Mr. 
Adair  !  "  and  Mr.  Adair  would  "  come  up  to 
the  notch  "  handsomely  every  time. 

I  think  there  never  was  a  happier  boy  in 
the  Academy,  and,  as  his  enthusiasm  was 
infectious,  he  won  the  good  will  of  his 
officers  by  the  example  he  set,  and  was  the 
apple  of  old  Haxall's  eye.  (Haxall  was  the 
gunner's  mate,  a  regular  old  "shell-back," 
whose  experiences  and  yarns  were  of  a  most 
thrilling  nature.)  Bob's  sweet  disposition 
stood  him  in  good  stead  among  the  fellows, 
and  his  hot  temper  saved  him  from  imposi- 
tion and  bullying  ;  his  capacity  for  chaff, 
too,  was  greatly  admired,  and  he  had  quite  a 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

reputation  for  fair  judgment.  But  as  this 
last  always  consisted  in  taking  the  dispu- 
tants to  Robertin,  he  chuckled  derisively 
when  he  heard  of  it. 

He  was  known  to  be  "a  religious  chap," 
but  "  no  duffer  for  all  that,"  added  those 
less  fortunate  ones  who  did  not  know  that 
in  Religion's  warm  sun  germinate  the  seeds 
of  joy  and  light-heartedness ;  and  he  was 
chaffed  somewhat  about  it  at  first.  This 
soon  stopped,  however;  for  he  made  his 
faith  respected  by  living  up  to  its  tenets, 
and  by  always  having  an  intelligent  answer 
for  the  questions  asked — even  for  those  that 
displayed  an  ignorance  as  offensive  as  it  was 
dense. 

For  instance.  A  third-classman  dropped 
into  their  room  one  evening  after  studies, 
and  as  he  roamed  about  in  a  restless  fash- 
ion, he  picked  up  Bob's  prayer-book,  and 
glanced  through  it.  He  happened  to  open 
it  at  the  Litany  of  the  Saints.  After  read- 
ing a  few  minutes,  he  said: 

"  Adair,  do  you  really  believe  in  this  sort 
of  thing?" 


132  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"What?"  asked  Bob. 

"  Why,  that  a  lot  of  dead-and-gone  fel- 
lows can  do  anything  for  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  said  Bob,  tranquilly. 

"Well,  now,  I  like  that!  "  Gilman  went 
on,  derisively.  "  What  can  they  do?" 

"  Pray  for  me,"  said  Bob. 

"Pray  for  you!"  repeated  Gilman; 
"why,  you  can  do  that  yourself." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bob,  "  but  one  can't  have  too 
many  prayers  said  for  him ;  and  it  stands  to 
reason  that  these  '  friends  of  God '  have  a 
strong  claim  on  His  favor;  for  they  lived 
for  Him,  worked  for  Him,  and  died  for  Him 
by  the  thousands." 

"You  worship  them,  though,  and  that's 
downright  idolatry." 

"  We  don't ! "  said  Bob,  with  some  heat. 
"  We  don't  worship  anything  except  God." 

"  But  you  have  their  images  set  up,  and 
say  your  prayers  to  them." 

"  Do  you  say  your  prayers  to  the  pictures 
of  your  mother,  and  your  sisters,  and  your 
friends,  that  you  keep  on  your  wardrobe 
door?" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  133 

"  Of  course  I  don't,"  said  Gilman,  with  a 
stare. 

"  What  do  you  keep  them  for,  then?  " 

"  Why,  to  remind  me  of  them,  and  be- 
cause I  love  them." 

"  And  that  bust  of  Cresar?  " 

"  Why,  because  I  respect  and  honor  him. 
He's  my  pet  hero,  and  I  want  to  be  like 
him." 

"All  right!"  said  Bob,  with  his  own 
sunny  smile;  "you've  hit  the  nail  straight 
this  time,  my  boy  !  We  keep  the  saints' 
images  and  pictures  to  remind  us  of  them — 
their  virtues,  their  holiness,  their  deeds — so 
we  can  try  to  imitate  them,  and  because  we 
love  them;  and  we  ask  them  to  pray  for  us 
just  as  you'd  go  to  the  court  of  a  king,  and 
ask  those  he  loved  most  to  help  you  to  beg 
for  any  favor  you  wanted.  See?" 

Gilman  looked  reflective. 

"Why,"  said  Bob,  a  trifle  impatiently, 
"it's  the  'communion  of  saints,'  don't  you 
know?  You  say  it  in  your  Creed  every 
Sunday,  at  the  chapel." 


134  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"By  Jove!"  replied  Gilman,  slowly,  if 
that  is  what  it  means,  it  is  a  grand  idea! 
The —  But  look  here,  Adair,"  he  broke  off 
suddenly,  "you  do  worship  the  Virgin 
Mary." 

"No,  sir!"  said  Bob;  "but  we  love  her, 
and  honor  her,  and  serve  her  next  to  God; 
for  she  is  the  greatest  saint  of  all — the  pur- 
est and  the  holiest.  She  must  have  been, 
you  know,"  he  added,  simply,  "  for  God  to 
choose  her  for  His  Mother." 

"But  you  are  always  praying  to  her." 

"Of  course,"  said  Bob;  "and  when  you 
were  a  little  chap,  was  there  ever  a  time 
when  you  you  weren't  asking  your  mother 
something,  or  getting  her  to  back  you  up 
when  you  asked  your  father  things?" 

Gilman  nodded  his  head. 

"  Well,"  said  the  boy,  and  his  eyes  shone 
with  a  tender  light,  "you  see,  she's  our 
Mother,  and — 

"  But  isn't  all  that  rather  superstitious 
and  childish?" 

"  '  Unless  you  become  as  little  children  you 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  135 

shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,' '' 
quoted  Robertin,  in  his  slow,  grave  voice, 
just  as  Bob  said: 

"Don't  mix  up  superstition  and  faith! 
One  is  tares  and  the  other  is  wheat." 

"Well,"  said  Gilman,  "you  two  are  a 
pair!  Mind  you,"  he  added,  with  slow  con- 
scientiousness— he  was  a  New  Englander — 
"  I  don't  say  you  are  right,  but  I  do  say  it's 
different  from  anything  I  ever  heafrd  about 
it  all  before;  and  there's  something  in  it 
that  seems  reasonable,  and  yet  pretty,  and — 
and  homelike ;  '  all  in  the  family  '  you  know, 
and  that  sort  of  thing.  I  could  never  do 
any  of  it,  though.  I  disapprove  of  it  on 
principle;  for  I  do  not  think  a  religion  good 
that  allows  people  to  commit  all  the  sins 
they  want  to,  and  then  go  and  be  absolved." 

"  Well,  I  should  say  that  was  a  religion 
fit  for  a  wild  Chocteiw,  or  a  fetich-worshiper 
on  the  Congo,"  answered  Bob. 

"  Why,  Adair,  I  thought — I've  heard — 
isn't  that  what  Catholics  do  at  confession?" 

"No!"  said  Bob,  with  an  emphasis  that 


136  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

carried  conviction.  "  Don't  you  know,  un- 
less you  go  to  confession  with  deep,  true 
sorrow  for  your  sins,  and  a  firm  purpose  not 
to  do  any  of  them  again,  and  even  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  of  things  that  might  cause 
you  to  commit  them,  you  can't  get  abso- 
lution?" 

"Is  that  so?"  replied  Oilman,  in  great 
surprise.  "Why,  then,  Adair,"  he  added, 
with  th5  air  of  one  making  a  great  discovery, 
"  if  that's  true,  I  should  think  it  might  be  a 
restraint  ?  " 

"  It  is,"  said  Bob,  in  what  he  called  his 
"dormouse  and  treacle-well"  tone.*  And 
the  irruption  of  some  ten  or  fifteen  other 
fellows  put  an  end  to  the  discussion. 

*  See  "Alice  iu  Wonderland." 


IV. 

As  Christmas  was  drawing  near,  it  was 
decided  that  Dalrymple  should  be  baptized 
that  very  day,  and  he  asked  Father  Grotius 
if  he  might  take  the  Blessed  Virgin's  name. 
The  good  priest  said  yes,  remarking  that  it 
was  by  no  means  unusual  in  Catholic  coun- 
tries for  men  to  bear  it;  but  suggested  that 
he  should  couple  it  with  some  other,  for  dai- 
ly use.  Dalrymple,  however,  with  a  pretty 
persistence  (he  was  too  gentle  and  well-bred 
to  be  rudely  obstinate)  urged  his  point, 
saying: 

"  You  see,  it  was  her  picture  first  set  me 
to  asking  questions ;  two  of  her  boys  got  me 
started  right;  my  mother  was  a  Child  of 
Mary;  and,  if  I'm  baptized  on  Christmas,  I 
think  Our  Lord  would  like  me  to  have  His 
Mother's  name.  Then,  too,"  he  added, 
lower,  "it  will  be  a  reminder  all  the  time; 
137 


138  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

for  I've  got  a  quick  temper,  and  the  fellows 
do  worry  so,  sometimes!  " 

father  Grotius  raised  only  one  more  point. 

"  My  child,  this  holy  name  must  not  be 
exposed  to  the  ridicule  of  those  who  honor 
nothing,  and  respect  not  even  their  own  im- 
mortality." 

"No,  sir,"  answered  the  boy,  eagerly; 
"  it  shall  not  be.  I'll  try  to  be  worthy  of  it, 
and  only  those  who  love  the  Blessed  Virgin 
shall  call  me  by  it.  You  know,"  he  added, 
with  a  smile,  "down  here  I'm  'Dal,1  and 
'  Dotty  Dimple,'  and  '  The  Cub ' ;  and  outside 
I'm  generally  '  Van,'  for  Van  Alstine." 

And  Father  Grotius  smiled  back  into  the 
young  face,  and  in  his  heart  he  prayed  that 
the  child  might  indeed  be  worthy  of  the 
august  patroness  he  had  chosen. 

Dalrymple  asked  Bob  and  Robertin  to  be 
his  godfathers;  but,  as  he  knew  no  Catholic 
ladies,  "  he  was,"  as  Bob  rather  bluntly  ex- 
pressed it,  "out  a  godmother,"  until — but 
I  must  not  anticipate. 

One  day,  just  after  the  mail  was  distrib- 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  139 

uted,  Bob  came  tearing  down  the  stairs, 
waving  an  open  letter,  and  shouting  like  a 
Comanche.  He  "  fetched  up  "  in  a  bunch  of 
his  chums,  one  of  whom — Brintnall — asked 
him,  sarcastically,  if  he  couldn't  yell  one 
tone  higher. 

"No,"  said  Bob;  "  piracy  on  the  high  C 
[sea]  is  forbidden."  Then,  giving  Rober- 
tin  a  resounding  whack  on  the  back,  he 
said: 

"They're  coming  for  Christmas!" 

Rebel-tin's  face  lighted  up,  and  he  an- 
swered, "  I'm  glad  ! "  with  such  heartiness 
that  all  the  fellows  asked  : 

"  Who  is  coming  ?  " 

"  My  people,"  replied  Bob,  with  an  expan- 
sive smile. 

"  Look  here,  Adair,"  said  the  would-be 
wit  who  was  recovering  from  Bob's  first  an- 
swer, "  don't  stretch  that  mouth  of  yours 
any  farther,  or  your  ears  will  have  to  be 
moved  back." 

"All  right,"  answered  Bob;  "I'lMend 
them  to  you  then.  Yours  are  not  long 
enough  for  pons  asinorum,  I  believe." 


140  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

A  thrust  which  set  the  rest  into  fits  of 
laughter;  for  the  blunder  Brintnall  had 
made  trying  to  cross  that  celebrated  mathe- 
matical bridge  was  a  standing  joke  in  the 
class. 

"Come  along,  Steady!"  said  Bob,  taking 
his  arm;  and  he  walked  off,  volubly  unfold- 
ing his  plans. 

"  We'll  meet  them,"  he  went  on,  "  at  the 
evening  train." 

"  Would  you  not  rather  go  alone,  Rob- 
ert?" said  his  companion,  with  some  diffi- 
dence. 

"No,  you  old  goose,  I  wouldn't,"  an- 
swered Bob.  "  So  now  don't  go  putting  on 
airs;  for  when  I  ask  you  to  come,  I  want 
you." 

The  next  evening  found  the  two  at  the 
depot,  eager-eyed  and  excited,  keeping  their 
place  in  the  throng,,  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
unmoved  by  the  rush  of  the  vans,  undis- 
turbed by  the  endless  shout  of  "  Gangway, 
there!" 

As  the  train  drew  up,  a  little,  fair-haired 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

lady,  with  large  blue  eyes  and  fair,  clear 
skin,  came  out  of  the  car,  followed  by  a  tall 
girl,  with  keen  gray  eyes,  high  features,  and 
a  profusion  of  red-brown  hair.  Bob  made 
one  spring,  caught  the  little  lady  in  his 
arms,  and,  fairly  lifting  her  down,  kissed 
her  with  a  vim  that  set  her  bonnet  crooked, 
and  made  him  unconscious,  for  the  moment, 
of  anything  else.  Meanwhile  Robertin  (to 
his  own  intense  astonishment)  offered  his 
hand  to  her  companion,  helped  her  down, 
awkwardly  took  her  hand-bag,  and  then 
stood,  with  head  uncovered,  in  a  great  state 
of  confusion  as  to  what  to  do  next. 

Bob  wheeled  around  on  them. 

"Oh,  you  dear  old  chap! "  he  said  to  the 
girl ;  "  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you!  "  And  he 
threw  his  arms  about  her,  and  kissed  her, 
first  on  one  cheek,  then  on  the  other. 

"Bear!"  she  said,  giving  him  a  little 
push,  and  looking  at  him  affectionately;  "do 
you  think  I'm  made  of  steel  springs,  that 
you  crush  me  so  ?  " 

But  he  only  grinned  cheerfully,  gave  her 


142     _  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

a  pat  on  the  shoulder,  and,  waving  his  hand 
toward  Robertin,  said: 

"  Mother,  Aunt  Nell,  this  is  old  Steady, 
sometimes  called  Robertin,  and  the  best  old 
chap  in  the  world/' 

"Ah!"  said  Mrs.  Adair,  with  a  sweet, 
cordial  smile;  and,  putting  her  little  hand 
into  the  great  one  offered  her :  "  I  am  so 
glad  to  know  you!  And  I  want  to  thank 
you  for  being  so  good  to  my  boy." 

"  Good  to  Robert— I,  Madam  ?  Why  it's 
— it's  all  on  the  other  tack,"  answered  Rob- 
ertin, in  great  surprise. 

"Bob  tells  a  different  story,"  said  his 
aunt;  ''so  you  will  have  to  submit  to  being 
thanked." 

Then  they  hurried  up  to  the  hotel,  where 
they  spent  a  half  hour,  happy  to  Bob,  but 
stranger  to  Robertin  than  anything  he  had 
ever  known ;  for  he  had  never  seen  anything 
like  the  loving  familiarity  of  this  son  to  his 
mother,  her  quick  response  to  his  every 
thought,  her  sympathy,  and  her  dainty 
grace;  he  had  never  in  his  somber  young 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  143 

life  heard  such  cheerful  nonsense  and  light 
laughter  as  were  bandied  between  Bob  and 
his  aunt;  and  when  they  rose  to  go  his  eyes 
grew  soft,  and  a  strange  knot  came  into  his 
throat,  to  see  the  mother  reach  up  to  her 
tall  son,  and  kiss  him  tenderly,  and  to  hear 
her  say,  as  she  signed  his  forehead  with  the 
Holy  Sign:  "Good-night,  my  darling!  God 
bless  you!" 

"  Ce  gars  la  est  bienheureux!  "  he  thought ; 
and  then,  "it  is  Robert,  and  I  rejoice  for 
him!"  And  this  brought  such  a  smile  to 
his  lips,  and  such  a  light  to  his  eyes,  that 
Bob's  mother  said  to  herself:  "What  a 
splendid  face!"  Then,  as  she  turned  to 
him,  with  her  soft  grace  of  movement,  she 
said  aloud: 

"  You  must  come  to  see  us  as  often  as  you 
can ;  for  any  friend  of  my  boy's  is  welcome, 
but  you  are  doubly  so." 

Then  both  boys  left  at  a  double-quick,  to 
be  in  time  for  tattoo.  As  they  darted  round 
corners,  and  bolted  through  the  needle-like 
alleys  that  pierce  the  houses  in  the  quaint 
old  town,  Bob  gasped  out: 


144  MIDSHIPMAN  DOB. 

"She's  going  to  be  Dalrymple's  god- 
mother." 

The  next  morning  they  were  excused  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  hurried  off  to  the 
hotel.  They  found  the  two  ladies  bonneted 
and  cloaked,  and  ready  to  start  out  at  once. 
Mrs.  Adair's  first  wish  was  to  see  the  quar- 
ters where  Bob  lived,  but  he  said: 

"  Now,  mother,  let's  begin  at  the  begin- 
ning, and  go  regularly  through;  for  I  want 
you  to  see  everything ;  and  yet  you  must  not 
tire  yourself,  you  know." 

She  smiled  in  the  cheeriest  way,  and  re- 
plied: 

"Very  well,  my  dear;  I'm  in  your  hands, 
and  at  your  disposal." 

But  Bob's  aunt  said: 

"Oh!  she'll  do  anything  you  ask,  but  I 
want  a  distinct  understanding  on  certain 
points  before  we  start.  Wher^  are  we  go- 

ing?" 

"  All  over  the  place,"  said  Bob,  lucidly. 

"  Of  course,  but  where  ?  For,  mind  you, 
Bob,  while  I  am  very  fond  of  you"  (here 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  145 

Bob  clapped  his-  hand  on  his  heart,  and 
made  her  a  sweeping  bow),  "and  would  do 
a  good  deal  for  you,  I  will  not  be  trailed  up 
sky-scrapers,  and  spanker  booms,  and  bow- 
sprits, and — and — things." 

"  All  right,  my  dear,"  he  chuckled. 

"And,"  she  went  on,  solemnly,  "I  will 
not  be  asked  questions  about  knots,  and 
splices,  and  jib-stays,  and  be  expected  to 
admire  dolphin-strikers,  and  scuttle-butts, 
and  running  bowlines.  You  see,"  she  said, 
complacently,  "I  have  been  reading  your 
dear  Marryatt  and  Cooper,  so  I  would  not 
feel  quite  like  an  idiot  down  here.  I  can't 
say  that  it  has  helped  me  much  either,"  she 
added,  sotto  voce. 

"Well,  I  should  say  so,"  said  Bob;  and 
he  put  his  head  back,  and  laughed  until  the 
quiet  street  echoed,  and  even  Robertin's 
mouth  twitched  at  her  display  of  seaman- 
ship (?). 

When  he  recovered  a  little,  he  said: 

"I  am  sorry  about  the  knots  though,  for 
Matthew  Walker's  grandfather — " 
10 


146  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"O  Bob!  if  he's  a  friend  of  yours,  my 
dear,  I'll  look  at  anything  rather  than  dis- 
appoint you,  or  hurt  the  old  man's  feelings," 
she  interrupted,  hastily. 

At  this  Bob  fairly  fell  against  a  neighbor- 
ing tree-box,  and  wiped  the  tears  from  his 
eyes. 

"Goodness,  boy!"  she  said,  briskly, 
"what  is  the  matter?  What  have  I  said?" 
she  added,  turning  to  Bobertin. 

"  It's  a  knot,  Madame — Madamoiselle," 
stammered  Bobertin.  ' '  There  are  three  of 
them — Matthew  Walker,  Matthew  Walker's 
Grandfather,  and  Double  Matthew  Walker. 
And  Bobert  made  you  one  of  the  grand- 
father's— the  best  in  the  class — and  he  got 
permission  to  keep  it  for  you,  instead  of 
having  it  put  in  the  seamanship  building. 
He  made  you  a  grommet-strap,  too,"  he 
added,  embarrassed  by  his  long  speech. 

Bob's  aunt  laughed,  then  she  shook  her 
finger  at  her  graceless  nephew,  and  said: 

"  Just  wait,  young  man,  till  I  get  a  chance 
at  those  ears!  They  shall  be  trimmed  with 
pink  and  lined  with  tingles." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  147 

By  this  time  he  had  recovered  sufficiently 
to  move  on;  and  as  they  entered  the  gate, 
the  smart  marine  saluted  a  very  dignified 
Mr.  Adair  indeed. 


V. 


WITHIN  the  iron  bars  of  the  gate  the  little 
party  stood  a  moment  for  the  view.  Before 
them  lay  a  level  reach  of  still  green  turf, 
studded  with  sturdy  oaks,  and  dotted  here 
and  there  with  shrubbery.  The  plain  shaft 
of  the  Herndon  Monument  rose  immediately 
in  front;  Blake  Row  stretched  to  the  right; 
the  "new  quarters"  lay  to  the  left;  and 
far  off,  between  the  vistas  of  other  buildings 
and  trees,  gleamed  the  bay,  with  its  flying 
sails  and  screaming  gulls. 

"Smell  the  salt!  "  said  Bob,  sniffing  with 
keen  enjoyment  the  breeze  that  swept  in 
toward  them,  laden  with  the  sweet,  faint 
tang  of  the  sea.  "Better  than  violets, 
sweeter  than  roses,  dearer  than — 

They  all  laughed  at  his  sentimentality, 
but  Bob  appeared  not  to  notice  this.  "  Let's 
go  to  the  Tripoli  Monument  first,"  said  he; 
148 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  '  149 

"  and  then  we  can  take  a  squint  at  the  jolly 
old  cannon — Caroluses,  and  Mexican,  and 
French.  They  are  beauties!"  And  a  few 
paces  brought  them  to  the  plat  where  they 
were  ranged. 

They  were  of  bronze,  green  with  age,  and 
carved  in  the  most  elaborate  manner.  The 
breeches  of  several  were  wrought  in  the 
form  of  lions'  heads,  tigers'  heads,  and  gro- 
tesque masks,  whose  tongues  served  as  cas- 
cabels,  and  whose  flying  manes  trailed  off, 
and  were  lost  in  the  scroll-work  around  the 
names.  And  such  names ! — Le  Gaillard,  Le 
Grandeur,  Le  Mordicant,  Mars,  the  Kisser, 
Menelaus,  Le  Moniteur,  Le  Fier,  Le  Grand, 
the  Swearer;  and  one  of  the  Spanish  guns 
bore  the  name  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  Him- 
self; while  a  "family  party"  of  Caroluses 
(Bob's  designation,  of  course)  completed 
the  group. 

Between  them  and  the  building,  fair  and 
white,  was  the  monument  erected  to  those 
who  fell  in  Tripoli  during  the  stirring  days 
when  Decatur,  Stewart,  Bainbridge,  Porter, 


150  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Barren,  Hull,  and  Rodgers  were  making 
their  fame  in  the  far-off  Mediterranean, 
while  the  young  Republic  at  home  was 
learning  to  stand  alone.  On  the  square  base 
were  blazoned  in  gold  letters  the  names  of 
Somers,  Caldwell,  Decatur,  Wadsworth,  Dor- 
sey,  and  Israel  (the  order  in  which  they 
yielded  up  their  lives ) .  Above,  on  a  smaller 
square,  tinted  and  veined  with  palest  amber 
and  rose-pink,  were  the  bas-reliefs  of  the 
fatal  fights  in  which  the  young  heroes  fell, 
and  the  mourning  but  exultant  tribute  of 
their  bereft  country.  A  frieze  of  Saracens' 
heads  banded  it,  and  surmounting  it  were 
the  figures  of  Fame,  History,  America,  and 
a  group  of  children,  to  whom  the  Future 
shows  the  tablet-stone. 

It  stood  on  a  slight  eminence,  and  about 
it  sprung  shrubbery,  bare  now  in  the  De- 
cember cold,  but  suggestive  of  luxuriance 
when  Spring  should  revivify  the  earth. 

As  they  looked  at  it  in  silence,  Bob  said, 
with  a  voice  grown  a  trifle  husky: 

"It's  the  first  thing  we  see  in  the  morn- 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

ing;  and  as  it  rises  out  of  the  darkness  in 
Winter,  or  shines  in  the  sun  in  Summer,  I 
tell  you  it's  just  like  a  sort  of  immortality; 
and  it  sets  your  heart  to  burning,  and  makes 
your  breath  come  short.  They  died  like 
men ! " 

And  the  two  lads,  with  a  common  impulse, 
whipped  off  their  caps,  and  stood  uncovered. 

Bob's  mother  put  a  trembling  hand  on 
her  son's  arm,  and  said: 

"  Thank  God  for  peace,  that  leaves  me 
and  all  other  mothers  our  boys! " 

But  his  aunt,  with  something  suspiciously 
moist  in  her  keen  gray  eyes,  exclaimed: 

"Poor  fellows!  Well,  that's  the  easy, 
glorious  side  of  duty — to  be  cut  down  in  the 
middle  of  victory,  with  the  world  hurrahing. 
But  remember,  Bob,  'they  also  serve  who 
only  stand  and  wait.' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Bob,  with  a  quick,  impatient 
sigh;  "but  gunpowder  is  so — stimulating!" 

Then  they  examined  the  monument  care- 
fully, Bob  rattling  off  incidents  and  data 
that  showed  he  had  studied  the  subject  thor- 


152  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

oughly ;  while  Eobertin  added  a  quiet  word 
now  and  then,  his  great  eyes  shining. 

They  entered  the  "new  building"  (still 
so  called,  although  nearly  twenty  years  old), 
and  Bob  showed  his  mother  the  "  details  " 
— the  lists  of  what  classes  and  what  middies 
were  told  off  for  duty,  and  the  various 
duties.*  The  summing  up  gave  a  busy  day. 

*  GENERAL  ORDER  No.  16. 

Until  further  orders  the  following  routine  shall  be 
observed: 

Morning  gun-fire  and  reveille  -    6.00 

Call  for  morning  roll-call  6.45 

Morning  roll-call       -  -     6.50 
Breakfast  immediately  after  roll-call. 
Prayers 

Sick-call              -                       -           -  7.30 
Call    to    rooms,  and   1st"  forenoon  recitation  (1st 

period)       -  7.55 

March  to  recitation   -  -    8.00 

Call  to  2d  forenoon  recitation  -  9.00 

March  to  recitation   -  -    9.05 

Recall  from  1st  period  recitations  10.10 

Call  to  3d  forenoon  recitation  (3d  period)  -            -  10.20 

March  to  3d    "              "  10.25 

Call  to  4th      "  -  11.25 

March  to  4th  "  11.30 
Recall    from   2d   period  recitations,  and  release 

from  rooms  12.35 

Call  for  dinner  formation    -  -   12.55 

Dinner     -  1.00 
Call  to  rooms,   and  1st  afternoon  recitation  (3d 

period)  -     1.50 

March  to  recitation  1.55 

Call  to  2d  afternoon  recitation        -  -           -     2.50 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  153 

"  But,  my  dear  boy,"  said  his  aunt,  turn- 
ing wide  eyes  on  him,  after  reading  these 

long  lists,  "you  don't  do  all  that,  do  you?" 

"  Well,  not  all  at  once,"  replied  Bob,  with 
a  cheerful  grin. 

March  to  recitation  2.55 
Recall    from   3d   period   recitations,  and  release 

from  rooms  -           3.55 

Call  to  afternoon  exercises  and  drill  -4.05 

Second  call  to  afternoon  exercises  and  drill  -           5.25 

Recall  from  -     6.00 

Call  to  dress  parade  (when  ordered)  5.50 

Call  to  evening  roll-call       -                        -  6.25 

Evening  roll-call  6.30 
Supper  immediately  after  roll-call 

Call  to  rooms      -  7.25 

Evening     gun-fire,     tattoo,     and    release  from 

rooms       -  9. 30 
Warning  roll                          ....     9.55 

Taps        -  10.00 

SATUKDAYS. 

Morning  gun-fire  and  reveille  -     6.00 

Call  for  morning  roll-call  6.45 

Morning  roll-call  -     6.50 

Breakfast  immediately  after  roll-call. 

Prayers 

Sick-call  -  -           7.30 

Call  to  rooms,  and  1st  forenoon  recitation  (1st 

period)      -  7.55 

March  to  recitation  -     8.00 

Call  to  2d  forenoon  recitation    -  9.00 

March  to  recitation   -                       -  -     9.05 

Recall  from  1st  period  recitations  10.10 

Call  to  exercises  and  drills  -  -   10.20 

Recall  from  "       "        "  12.30 

Call  for  dinner  formation    -  -   12.55 

Dinner     -                                      .            .  -            1.00 

Call  for  evening  roll-call      ...  -     6.25 


154  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

''I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  she  continued, 
dryly;  "  for  I  was  afraid  we'd  Lave  an  infant 
phenomenon  or  a  marine  prodigy  on  our 
hands." 

Evening  roll-call  6.30 

Supper  immediately  after  roll-call. 

Evening  gun-fire  and  tattoo      -  9.30 

Warning  roll  9.55 

Taps  10.00 

Taps  on  Hop  nights,  20  minutes  after  close  of 
Hop. 

SUNDAYS. 

Morning  gun-fire  and  reveille  -    6.00 
Call  for  morning  roll-call  6.45 
Morning  roll-call  -    6.50 
Breakfast  immediately  after  roll-call. 
Sick-can  -    7.30 
Call  for  inspection  1st  Sunday  of  month  9.40 
other  Sundays  of  month  -     9.55 
Inspection  1st  Sunday  of  month  9.45 
other  Sundays  of  month  -  10.00 
Church   parties   for   10.30  a.  m.  services  in  An- 
napolis, form  at  -  10.15 
Call  for  services  in  Chapel  10.20 
March  to  Chapel  -  10.25 
Church  parties  for  11  a.  m.  services  in  Annapolis, 

form  at  -  10.45 

Call  for  dinner  formation  12.55 

Dinner                                    -  1.00 

Call  for  evening  roll-call  6.25 

Evening  roll-call        -  -    6.30 
Supper  immediately  after  roll-call. 

Call  to  rooms  -     7.25 
Evening    gun-fire,    tattoo,    and    release     from 

rooms  -     9.30 

Warning  roll       -  9.55 

Taps  -  -   10.00 

Cadets  not  on  duty  or  at  recitation  must  be  in  their 

rooms  within  five  minutes  from  the  call  to  rooms. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  155 

"  Yes'm,"  said  Bob,  with  a  meekness  not 
in  the  least  deceptive.  "But  we  have 
enough ;  our  course  is  Algebra,  Geometry — 
and  that  means  indeterminate  co-efficients, 

Sections  shall  be  mustered  immediately  after  the 
order  "  Silence,"  and  shall  be  marched  to  the  recitation 
rooms  in  columns  of  twos,  and  in  quick  time. 

Sections  must  be  promptly  dismissed  when  the  bugle 
sounds  the  call  to  march  to  recitation. 

The  call  for  morning  and  evening  roll-calls,  for 
dinner  formations,  and  inspections,  will  be  sounded  at 
the  lower  quarters  five  minutes  earlier  than  herein 
specified. 

When  the  call  shall  be  sounded  for  any  exercise,  drill, 
or  formation,  the  cadets  shall  assemble  rapidly  at  the 
place  where  such  exercise,  drill,  or  formation  is  to  take 
place;  and  shall  go  at  once  to  their  stations,  to  their 
parts  of  the  ship,  to  their  guns,  get  in  their  launches  or 
boats,  or  take  their  places  in  ranks,  as  may  be  required, 
without  waiting  for  further  orders. 

The  order  "  Silence"  will  be  given,  at  the  number  of 
minutes  after  the  roll-call  indicated  below,  for 
Seamanship  exercise  on  board  the  Dale,  or  in  boats  to 

go  to  the  Dale  •    7 

Monitor  exefcise  (Phlox's  wharf),  or  in  boats  to  go  to 

Monitor    -  -    7 

Tug  exercise  7 

Steam  Launch,  or  boat  exercise  -    7 

Great  gun  exercise  on  board  Santee  9 

Howitzer  exercise  (Armory)      -  -    7 

Infantry  -  -  7 

Naval  Brigade  exercise  (Armory)        -  -    7 

Fencing  (Gymnasium)        -  7 

Boxing  -    7 

Gymnastics       "  7 

Roll-call  at  upper  quarters       -  -    4 

Section  formations  -  3 

General  Order  No.  P>,  and  all  Orders  or  Regulations 
that  conflict  with  the  foregoing,  are  hereby  annulled. 


156  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

permutations,  logarithms,  mensuration  of 
rectilinear  figures,  and  so  forth — English, 
Ancient  History,  Rhetoric,  Modern  History, 
Geography,  and  French  and  Spanish.  Then 
we  have  drills  aboard  ship  and  ashore; 
marline-spike  seamanship,  lead  and  line, 
ropes,  compass,  and  the  rigging-loft.  Next 
year  it  will  be  all  that,  and  Physics, 
Descriptive  Geometry,  and  Trigonometry; 
Mechanical  Drawing,  cutting  and  fitting 
rigging  (wire  and  hemp)  ;  rigging  and  strip- 
ping ship;  making  up,  bending,  unbending, 
and  handling  sail;  and  sailmaking  besides. 
The  next  year — but  I'll  belay." 

"  My  dear,"  said  his  mother,  "  why  should 
you,  who  are  an  officer,  have  to  learn  all 
this  manual  work?  You  surely  are  never 
obliged  to  do  it  at  sea." 

"No,  ma'am,"  replied  Bob;  "but  you  see 
we've  got  to  know  how  it  ought  to  be  done, 
and  just  how  long  it  ought  to  take  to  do  it. 
You  know,  mother,"  he  continued,  earnestly, 
"  a  slouchy  piece  of  work,  such  as  a  bad  bit 
of  rigging,  might  endanger  the  life  of  a  ship 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  157 

and  its  whole  crew.  Don't  you  remember 
that,  story  of  the  careless  carpenter  who  put 
in  the  side  of  a  vessel  a  piece  of  timber  that 
had  a  worm-hole  in  it,  because  he  was  too 
lazy  to  get  another  one,  and  how  the  worm 
gnawed  away,  and  weakened  the  plank, 
until  once,  in  a  gale,  the  vessel  sprang  a 
leak,  and  all  hands  were  lost?  Well,  that's 
the  principle." 

"And,  Madame,"  said  Robertin,  "would 
wonder  at  the  knots  Robert  can  make 
already." 

"Yes;  Matthew  Walker's  gr "  began 

Bob,  mischievously. 

"No  more  of  that,  Bob!"  said  his  aunt, 
with  dignity.  "  But,"  she  added,  with  ani- 
mation, "I  do  want  to  see  old  Haxall! " 

"  Well,  now,  you  are  a  daisy!  "  exclaimed 
Bob,  sincerely  gratified.  "  He's  a  regular  old 
brick!" 

"O  Bob,  such  slang!" 

"Not  this  time,"  he  answered;  "that's 
classical.  It  was  a  Spartan  gen-e-ral,"  he 
began,  in  a  sing-song  tone;  "and  when  the 


158  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

hostile  am-bassa-dor  visited  his  country,  and 
asked,  '  Where  are  your  walls,  that  you  defy 
us  so  proudly  ? '  he  answered,  pointing  to 
his  soldiers  drawn  up  in  a  line:  'These 
are  my  walls,  and  every  man  is  a  brick.' 
Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that,  ma'am?" 
"  That  you  are  a  bigger  goose  than  ever!  " 
Then  they  went  into  the  mess-hall,  where 
the  white  -  jacketed  waiters  were  flying 
about,  their  arms  filled  with  glass  and 
china,  and  their  jolly  black  faces  beaming. 
Bob  explained  to  his  mother  how  each 
crew  had  a  table  to  itself;  how  the  captain 
of  that  crew,  being  a  senior  classman,  gave 
an  eye  to  the  deportment  of  his  youngsters, 
and  preserved  a  wholesome  discipline,  with- 
out checking  the  fun  or  comfort.  And  he 
called  her  special  attention  to  the  tables 
themselves,  draped  with  nice  linen,  set  with 
good  china,  glass,  and  silver;  and  read  her 
the  bill  of  fare,  which,  comprising  as  it  did 
a  soup,  roast,  four  vegetables,  a  salad,  and 
dessert,  was  appetizing.  Then  he  showed 
her  the  great  block-tin  cylinders,  in  which 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  159 

the  tea,  coffee,  and  cocoa  for  breakfast  and 
supper  were  made,  and  kept  "  piping  "  dur- 
ing meals;  and  the  carving-tables,  dished  at 
short  intervals,  and  zinc-covered,  with  a 
steam  coil  under  them,  and  capacious  gravy 
"  gutters  " ;  for  it  is  a  fixed  principle  at'  the 
Naval  Academy  that  not  only  shall  the  mid- 
shipmen be  served  abundantly,  but  that 
whatever  they  get  shall  be  hot  and  appetiz- 
ing. He  also  pointed  out  with  pride  the 
rifle-scores  made  and  the  race-trophies 
carried  off  by  the  various  crews  (during  the 
half-term),  which  decorated  the  walls  and 
stanchions;  and,  finally,  as  they  turned  to 
leave  the  building,  he  got  one  of  the  waiters 
to  bring  him  the  breakfast  and  supper 
menu,  which  he  handed  his  aunt. 

Then  he  led  them  through  the  winding 
paths,  past  the  great  bronze  bell  (cast  and 
carved  in  Japan,  and  sent  home  by  Perry  as 
a  token  of  good- will) ;  past  the  monument 
"  raised  by  midshipmen  " — the  stone  says — 
to  Pillsbury,  Clemson,  Hynson,  and  Gleason 
(other  midshipmen, who  fell  long  years  ago 


160  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

at  Vera  Cruz)  ;  past  the  band- stand,  with 
the  shining  water  always  before  them,  until 
they  turned  to  the  left,  and  entered  on 
another  phase  of  their  sight-seeing. 


VI. 


THAT  certainly  was  a  busy  day  for  Bob, 
and  his  tongue  rattled  so  fast  that  his  aunt 
pretended  to  be  seriously  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  his  hinge-pins.  In  her  heart  she 
rejoiced  in  the  boy's  delight,  and  was  really 
surprised  at  the  amount  of  information  he 
had  already  gathered  about  his  profession 
and  his  surroundings. 

"And  as  she  gazed,  the  wonder  grew"; 
for  when  they  went  into  the  old  gunnery 
(now  the  headquarters  of  the  Naval  Insti- 
tute), he  had  something  to  tell  of  every 
flag  and  every  object  of  interest  there  dis- 
played. 

"  See  here,  Aunt  Nell,"  .he  said,  "  this 
great  chap  is  the  royal  standard  captured  at 
York.*  This  fellow's  the  ensign  of  the 
Peacock,  and  this" — with  kindling  eyes — 

*  Now  Toronto. 

11  161 


102  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"is  Perry's  own.  See,  aunt — look!"  and  he 
pointed  to  the  great  white  letters,  "  Don't 
give  up  the  ship!"  that  sprawled  over  its 
surface.  "  You  know  those  were  Lawrence's 
last  words.  He  sang  'em  out  when  he  was 
dying,  aboard  the  Chesapeake.  And,  then, 
wasn't  it  just  a  burning  shame  that  those 
beastly  Lascars  struck,  and  ran  below,  almost 
without  a  show  of  fighting?  The  Americans 
in  the  crew  didn't  have  a  fair  chance;  for 
before  the  ship  sailed,  they  changed  the 
drummer  for  a  bugler;  and  he  was  a  darky, 
and  got  so  scared  when  the  Shannon  and 
Chesapeake  fouled,  that  when  Lawrence  or- 
dered the  boarders  called  away,  he  couldn't 
make  a  sound,  and  they  had  to  be  scrambled 
together  the  best  way  they  could.  You 
know  in  those  days  they  kept  the  boarding- 
arms  around  the  mast — 

"Boarders?"  said  his  aunt,  in  a  puzzled 
way.  "  Did  they  take  passengers  about  in 
war-ships  in  those  days?" 

Bob  stared  at  her  a  minute. 

"Gracious,  no!     Boarders  are  the  chaps 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  163 

told  off  to  make  a  dash  onto  the  enemy's 
deck  when  two  ships  grapple.  On  land," 
he  added,  in  a  lofty,  explanatory  way,  as  if 
he  were  then  afloat,  and  never  expected  to 
raise  a  coast-line  again,  "you'd  call  it  a 
'  charge.'  " 

"Where  is  Lawrence  buried,  Bob?" 
asked  his  aunt,  wishing  to  make  amends  for 
her  blunder.  "Here?" 

"  No,"  said  Bob,  his  face  falling.  "  He's 
buried  in  Halifax.  It's  a  disgrace  out  and 
out ;  for  even  if  he  was  dead  when  the  white 
flag  was  run  up,  and  hadn't  any  say,  I  don't 
think  his  country  ought  to  let  his  dust  lie 
there  in  a  foreign  soil.  He  isn't  all  alone, 
though,  for  his  men  are  at  his  feet—  But 
I  don't  like  to  think  about  it.  This" — 
he  turned  to  the  flags  again — "is  the  Co- 
rean  Royal  Standard  our  fellows  captured 
at  Sun-tol-mok  in  '70.  Isn't  that  a  bird  of 
dragon,  though?  And  those  black  spots 
are  Hugh  McKee's  blood.  He  was  killed 
just  near  it,  and  was  covered  with  it.  I 
wrote  you  about  it.  Those  things  like 


164  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

feather  dusters  are  Corean,  too;  and  all 
these  " —  with  a  sweep  that  included  a  large 
number  of  banners,  ensigns,  and  gridirons 
— "  were  captured  during  the  war  of  1812. 
This  was—" 

"  Adair!  "  called  a  gentle  voice  just  then, 
and  a  little  figure  appeared  in  the  doorway. 
"Oh,  I  beg  pardon,  I'm  sure!  I  did  not 
know  any  one  was  with  you." 

"  That  you,  Dalrymple?  The  very  chap  I 
wanted.  Come  here,  and  be  introduced  to 
my  people." 

And  Bob  drew  him  forward,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  he  was  looking  with  pleased  con- 
fidence into  Mrs.  Adair' s  face,  and  showing 
his  pretty  dimples  at  the  chaff  that  always 
flew  when  Bob  and  his  aunt  were  together. 


VII. 

"LooK  here,  Steady,"  said  Bob,  after  a 
long  yarn  about  the  Hornet  and  the  Frolic, 

so  crammed  with  technicalities  that  his  aunt 

• 

clasped  her  head  distractedly,  and  shut  her 
eyes,  "  I  don't  believe  this  dear  old  chap 
cares  a  rapp  for  sea-fights,  so  take  her  over 
yonder  and  show  her  the  cannon  and  flint- 
locks." 

"What  is  there  special  to  see  about 
them?"  she  asked. 

"They  are  Cortez  cannon,  Ma'm'selle," 
answered  Eobertin;  "  and  the  special  thing 
is  they  are  breech-loaders.  You  know,"  he 
added,  seeing  that  she  still  looked  at  him 
expectantly,  "we  thought  breech-loaders 
were  new  inventions,  but  these  three-hun- 
dred-year-old cannon  say  not.  And  here's 
another  thing  about  them:  the  touch-hole  is 
under  the  breech ;  so  the  fire  did  not  spirt 
165 


166  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

up  in  the  faces  of  the  gunners,  as  it  does 
in  ours." 

"I  think  it  is  all  frightful!"  she  ex- 
claimed— "  I  mean  all  these  fire-arms.  It's 
awful  to  think  that  men  should  use  the 
minds  God  gave  them  to  invent  means  of 
murdering  each  other! " 

"  Perhaps,  Ma'nrselle,  the  war-engines 
will  become  so  terrible  that  nations  will  not 
go  for  each  other  as  carelessly  as  before," 
he  said,  quietly. 

"  Perhaps,"  and  she  stared  at  him  reflec- 
tively. "That's  a  new  idea  tome."  Then 
she  asked:  "Do  you  believe  in  fighting?" 

"For  a  principle,  yes,  to  the  death!  "  he 
answered,  with  emphasis. 

Then  Bob  bustled  up  joyously  with  his 
mother  and  Dal,  and  they  went  into  the  sea- 
manship building,  where,  he  remarked,  his 
foot  was  on  his  native  heath,  though  Mac- 
gregor  didn't  happen  to  be  his  name. 

The  first  object  that  engaged  their  atten- 
tion was  the  working  model  of  the  Aniie- 
tam ;  and,  with  its  towering  masts,  tracery 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  167 

of  ropes,  delicate  spars,  and  perfect  sails,  it 
was  worth  looking  at.  The  next  thing  was 
the  array  of  ropes,  splicings,  etc.,  with 
which  the  walls  were  covered.  There  were 
specimens  of  wire  rope,  hide  rope,  tarred 
rope,  silk  and  linen  rope,  and  every  kind  of 
hemp  that  is  used  in  rigging  the  navies  of 
the  world.  And  the  knots  and  splicings — 
oh,  dear!  Their  names  were  painted  in 
bold  white  letters,  "  so  he  who  runs  may 
read,"  quoted  Bob,  with  his  best  air. 

"Oh,  no,  my  dear!"  groaned  his  aunt; 
"you  mean,  so  he  who  reads  may  run. 
Who  ever  heard  of  such  things  ?  "  and  she 
read:  "  'Sheep-shank,  jar-knot,  French  and 
American  shroud-knots,  diamond  on  six 
strands,  wall  and  crown,  grommet  and  sel- 
vagee  straps,  three-strand  Turk's-head,  rose 
on  six  strands,  paunch  mat,  breeches  mat, 
Matthew  Walker  — " 

At  this  Bob  looked  down  with  the  deepest 
interest  at  his  neat  Oxford  ties,  which  kept 
his  eyes  out  of  mischief;  but  his  lips 
twitched,  and  she  added,  abruptly: 


168  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"Here,  boy,  take  me  away!  I  feel  a 
strong  symptom  of  imbecility  creeping  over 
me." 

"  Well,  here's  the  very  thing  to  restore 
composure  to  your  nerves,  ma'am,"  he  said, 
pointing  with  a  flourish  to  the  hideous  lion 
that  once  guarded  the  deck  of  the  old 
Macedonian. 

"  Very  pretty,"  she  remarked,  sarcasti- 
cally. "  Looks  as  if  he'd  been  put  up  in 
curl-papers,  and  hadn't  got  over  the  kinks 
yet." 

But  to  the  relics  of  the  Cumberland,  the 
Florida,  the  Pennsylvania,  and  the  figure- 
head of  the  Old  Constitution  she  paid  the 
tribute  of  silent  respect,  and  found  herself 
really  interested  in  the  models  of  every 
craft  afloat — from  the  flying  proa  of  the 
South  Seas  and  the  Chinese  junk,  to  the  74- 
line  -  of  -  battle  and  the  monitor  —  which 
adorned  the  walls  of  the  gallery. 

As  they  made  their  round,  Bob  put  his 
head  into  a  side  room,  and  there  was  Haxall 
"  swabbing  down  decks  "  (mopping  the  floor, 
in  other  words). 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  169 

"Here's  luck!"  he  exclaimed,  and  told 
his  mother  who  it  was.  She  looked  with  in- 
terest, and,  as  the  old  fellow  glanced  up  and 
saw  Bob,  such  a  brightness  came  into  his 
face  that  she  stepped  forward,  and  said: 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  Haxall!  My  son  has 
told  me  about  you." 

"Has  he  now,  marm?"  replied  Haxall, 
pulling  his  hat  off  with  one  hand,  and  draw- 
ing the  back  of  the  other  across  his  mouth 
to  hide  the  huge  grin  of  satisfaction  that 
stretched  it.  "I'm  proud,  indeed,  marm,  to 
see  ye;  an'  I  kin  jes  tell  ye  one  thing,  ye 
ain't  got  no  cause  whatsomdever  to  worrit 
a  grain  about  that  there  young  gen'leman 
(he  told  me  wunst  ye  was  sot  agin  his  corn- 
in'  inter  the  sarvice) ;  he's  got  the  makin' 
of  a  prime  sailor,  an'  a  fustrate  off'cer;  and 
he's  as  clean  and  white  a  little  man  as  ever 
stepped.  So  don't  ye  fret,  marm." 

And  then,  somewhat  alarmed  at  having 
said  so  much  to  that  "purty  chaney  doll  of 
a  lady,"  he  raised  his  hand  to  his  forehead 
in  salute,  and  "  made  a  leg"  (a  sailor's  bow) 


170  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

that  was  more  respectful  than  graceful.  But 
as  the  party  turned  away  he  asked,  in  a 
troubled  voice: 

"  Why,  Mr.  Adair,  ye  ain't  never  goin' 
'thout  showin'  the  ladies  them  thar  Tra- 
falgar pictures  ?  " 

"That's  so,  Haxall!"  replied  Bob,  and 
straightway  led  them  to  the  awful  (artisti- 
cally) but  interesting  old  paintings. 

Then  they  went  to  Stribling  Bow  to  see 
the  quarters  of  the  two  Boberts,  and  from 
there  to  the  docks,  where  the  practice  ships, 
prison  ships,  launches,  balsas,  and  catama- 
rans were  anchored  and  moored. 

"  See  that  catamaran,"  said  Bob,  after  he 
had  told  in  glowing  terms  the  history  of 
each  ship — "  that  black  one,  bobbing  up  and 
down  there  ?  Well,  that's  the  sort  of  thing 
Lucien  Young  rode  ashore  on  when  the 
Huron  was  wrecked  off  the  Carolina  coast." 

"Wouldn't  a  boat  have  been  better,  my 
son?"  asked  his  mother,  looking  with  hor- 
ror at  the  seemingly  flimsy  thing. 

"I    don't   think   so,    dearest,"    he    said. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  You  know  she  " — the  Huron — "  grounded 
on  the  shoals  four  hundred  yards  out,  and 
the  waves  made  a  clean  breach  over  her. 
The  first  ones  smashed  the  boats  on  the 
weather-side,  killed  the  captain,  and  washed 
off  the  executive  and  a  lot  of  the  deck 
watch;  and  everything  on  the  lee-side  was 
so  awfully  mixed  up  that  the  men  who  tried 
to  launch  the  boats  were  knocked  away,  and 
either  killed  or  drowned.  The  sea  was  a 
smother  of  breakers,  and  the  sailors  and  the 
rigging  were  going  every  minute.  Besides, 
I  don't  believe  a  boat  could  have  lived— 

"O  Bob!  why  didn't  they  swim  for  the 
shore?  Four  hundred  yards  isn't  very  far," 
interrupted  his  aunt,  quite  pale  with  the 
awful  story. 

"Well,  my  dear,"  said  Bob,  "you  never 
saw  a  storm  on  the  coast,  but  you  can  easily 
believe  that  swimming  through  waves  as 
high  as  the  cross-trees  yonder,  and  being 
hauled  under  and  beaten  with  the  breakers, 
would  make  four-hundred  yards  seem  an 
eternal  distance.  Besides,  pretty  nearly 


172  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

everybody  thought  landward  was  seaward, 
and  such  as  could  swim  went  the  wrong 
way,  and  were  soon  drowned, — Lord  have 
mercy  on  their  souls!  " 

After  a  pause  he  resumed  his  narrative: 
"  Young  stayed  aboard,  trying  to  get  the 
bearings,  and  hanging  to  anything  he  could 
lay  hands  on,  until  a  spar  fell  on  him,  and 
caught  him  across  the  legs,  and  mashed 
him  down,  with  his  head  in  the  piece  of 
sail  that  it  had  fetched  away  with  it.  Then 
he  was  in  a  fix;  for  every  time  the  poor  old 
Huron  gave  a  roll — and  that  was  pretty 
often,  as  she  took  the  ground  broadside  on 
— his  head  would  go  under,  and  the  sail 
didn't  drain  off  quick,  and  he  was  almost 
smothered,  besides  being  nearly  broken  in 
two  by  the  spar.  But  he  wriggled  loose 
somehow,  and  made  shift  to  cut  adrift  the 
catamaran ;  and  he  and  two  sailors  got  on  it, 
and  put  out  for  the  shore,  paddling,  hanging 
on,  and  choking,  till  they  felt  the  sand 
grind  under  them.  Then  Young  dragged 
himself  on  those  banged  up  legs  ever  so  far 


*    MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  173 

— four  miles,  I  think — to  the  Life-Saving 
Station,  broke  it  open  (it  wasn't  the  season 
for  a  crew  to  be  there),  and  took  what 
things  he  could;  when  he  got  back,  the 
wreck  was  empty,  and  the  dead  sailors  lay 
in  rows  on  the  sand.  And  those  wreckers 
— those  wreckers !  " — and  his  boyish  face 
took  on  a  look  so  stern,  so  full  of  white 
wrath,  that  his  little  audience  of  four 
watched  him  spell-bound — "  they  say  those 
men  saw  the  rockets  sent  up  by  the  Huron; 
that  they  saw  the  blue  lights  burned  while 
she  lay  rolling  in  the  jaws  of  death;  that 
they  made  no  effort  to  get  out  the  life-boats, 
and  that  they  pushed  the  sailors  (who 
struggled  through  the  surf)  back  into  the 
water  to  drown,  so  that  they  could  rob  them 
of  their  money-belts  and  clothes. 

"I  hope  to  God,"  he  added  earnestly,  "it 
isn't  true ;  for — " 

But  just  then  across  the  water  flew  the 
strong,  sweet  notes  of  the  bugle  calling  them 
to  formation;  and  the  three  lads  hauled  off 
their  hats,  made  their  best  bows  and  raced 


174  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.      «• 

as  hard  as  they  could  for  the  rapidly  form- 
ing line,  leaving  Mrs.  Adair  and  her  sister 
to  make  their  way  back  along  the  pleasant 
walks  to  the  gate,  where  Bob  met  them 
(having  been  excused  from  supper),  and 
took  them  to  the  hotel. 


VIII. 

The  next  day  a  light  snow-fall  made  the 
walking  vile,  and  filled  the  air  with  damp- 
ness; but  Bob  and  Bobertin  took  the  two 
ladies  around  by  the  fish-market,  through 
a  "  cut "  more  short  than  savory,  and  in  at 
the  gate  of  the  Navy  Yard,  near  the  chapel. 
A  few  steps  thence  led  them  to  the  library, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  places 
on  the  grounds. 

It  was  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Co- 
lonial Governor,  and  its  rooms  were  left 
unchanged,  as  to  size  and  shape,  by  the  au- 
thorities of  the  Academy;  but  they  filled 
them  with  books  (technical  and  otherwise), 
with  busts,  portraits,  paintings,  and  relics; 
all  bearing  on  the  one  object  of  the  insti- 
tution— honoring  the  memory  of  the  nation's 
great  naval  dead,  and  stimulating  the  stu- 
dents to  serve  their  country  with  like  devo- 
tion, and  equal  credit  to  their  cloth. 
175 


176  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Bob  pointed  out  with  much  gusto  the  four 
views  of  the  battle  between  the  Constitution 
and  the  Guerri&re,  the  first  of  which  repre- 
sents the  two  ships  in  the  pride  of  swelling 
sail  and  perfect  hull;  the  others,  in  the  va- 
rious stages  of  mutilation  that  befell,  until 
the  English  wreck  was  surrendered  to  the 
American  wreck.  And  how  the  boy  did 
talk!  He  had  the  naval  history  at  the  end 
of  his  tongue,  and,  having  a  lenient  audi- 
ence, rattled  away  to  his  heart's  content. 

The  portraits  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Amer- 
ican Navy  were  also  objects  of  absorbing 
interest  to  him. 

"  See,  mother,  what  a  beauty  Decatur  is  ; 
and  Stewart  too!  He's  '  Old  Ironsides ' — 
Parnell's  grandfather,  you  know.  I  think 
they  have  the  most  perfect  faces  I  ever  saw. 
This  is  Barney,  of  the  Hyder  All, — don't 
you  remember?  And  here's  Hull.  He's 
not  quite  such  a  good-looking  chap  ;  but  he 
isn't  bad.  Look  at  the  cut  of  his  jib — his 
nose,  I  mean.  Doesn't  it  set  up  at  a  most 
defiant  angle?  He's  the  one  that  outsailed 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

and  out-maneuvered  the  English  squadron 
under  Broke,  in  1812.  There  never  was 
such  a  piece  of  seamanship  since  the  world 
began.  He  fell  in  with  them  five  days  out 
from  the  harbor  here.  There  were  the 
Shannon  " — checking  them  off  on  his  fingers 
— "the  Guerri&re,  the  Africa,  the  Belvi- 
dera,  the  ^olus,  and  the  prize  Nautilus; 
and  the  whole  kit  of  them  made  all  the  sail 
they  could  during  the  evening  and  night  of 
the  17th  of  July,  and  closed  in  on  the  Con- 
stitution. The  actual  chase  began  at  five 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  18th,  and  the 
English  ships  had  more  wind  than  we  had; 
so  Hull  had  all  the  rope  that  could  be  found 
payed  down  into  the  cutters,  bent  on,  a  kedge 
run  out  half  a  mile  ahead,  and  let  go.  Then 
the  crew  just  clapped  on,  and  walked  away 
with  the  ship,  overrunning  and  tripping  the 
kedge  as  she  came  up  with  the  end  of  the  line. 
"  The  boats  were  so  evenly  ahead  of  the 
ship  that  they  couldn't  be  seen  by  the  Eng- 
lishmen, and  she  just  quietly  '  progressed ' 
away  from  them  before  they  caught  on  to 
12 


178  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

the  scheme.  Then  came  the  tussle;  for  the 
enemy  held  on  like  bull-dogs,  and  were 
clever  enough  and  quick  enough  to  follow 
up  trick  for  trick.  And  the  Shannon  put 
out  her  men,  and  towed  and  kedged  too; 
while  the  Guerri&re  swelled  round,  watch- 
ing her  chance  to  close. 

"  After  a  while  we  got  a  little  wind,  and 
sailed  a  bit;  then  it  failed,  and  we  towed 
and  kedged  again.  Then  Hull  had  a  lot  of 
water  started  to  'lighten  ship,'  for  it's  no 
joke  to  tow  along  a  man-of-war  under  a  July 
sun. 

"  Every  now  and  then  a  shot  plumped 
alongside,  and  by  and  by  we  began  answer- 
ing with  a  long  eighteen,  and  with  two 
twenty-four  pounders  that  were  run  out  of 
the  cabin  windows.  But  these  twenty-fours 
had  to  be  stopped  off;  for  the  transoms  had 
so  much  rake,  and  the  windows  were  so  high, 
and  the  guns  so  short,  that  every  time  they 
were  fired  the  explosion  humped-up  the 
upper  deck,  and  almost  shook  the  stern- 
frame  out  of  place.  Then  came  some  more 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  179 

towing  and  kedging,  with  little  cat's-paws  of 
wind  to  whip  along  in  between;  and  when 
the  third  day  came  the  chase  was  still  on. 

"  It  must  have  been  beautiful!  "-—with  en- 
thusiasm— "the  still  sea,  the  blue  aloft  and 
alow,  the  five  frigates  just  a  cloud  of  canvas 
from  truck  to  water,  and  the  other  six  ves- 
sels dotted  around — ten  flying  the  English 
flag,  one  the  American.  And,  mother,  I  do 
think  one  of  the  finest  things  Hull  did  was 
when  a  twelfth  sail  came  fluttering  up;  as  it 
rose,  he  saw  it  was  an  American  merchant- 
man, and  beset  as  he  was  he  hoisted  an 
English  ensign  to  warn  it  off;  for  the  other 
chaps  had  run  up  the  stars  and  stripes  as  a 
decoy,  and  it  would  have  been  a  regular 
'  walk-into-my-parlor-said-the-spider-to-the- 
fly '  business,  if  the  little  Yankee  had  come 
bumping  into  the  tea-party — gunpowder-tea 
party.  Ha-ha ! 

"  Well,  at  seven  o'clock  that  last  evening 
a  great  squall  came  tearing  along,  and  Hull 
had  everything  kept  fast  till  just  before  the 
wind  struck  the  ship.  Then  he  ordered, 


180  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

'  Clew  up  and  clew  down ! '  The  light  can- 
vas was  furled,  a  second  reef  taken  in  the 
mizzen-topsail,  and  she  was  under  short  sail 
in  a  jiffy.  As  soon  as  she  got  the  weight  of 
the  blow,  she  sheeted  home,  hoisted  fore 
and  main  topgallant  sails;  and  while  the 
Englishmen  thought  she  was  steering  free 
before  the  wind,  she  was  flying  away  from 
them  at  the  rate  of  eleven  knots  an  hour. 

"  The  next  morning  the  wind  fell  light, 
but  Hull  'had  the  sails  wet  down  from  the 
sky-sails  to  the  courses,  so  they  drew  for 
all  they  were  worth  ;  the  squadron  was 
widely  scattered  by  the  blow,  and  at  a  quarter 
past  eight  the  chase  was  off.  Come,  look  at 
his  medal." 

And  Bob  showed  the  case  of  superb 
medals,  struck  off  after  each  great  victory, 
and  awarded  by  Congress  to  the  heroes  of 
1812.  Their  busts  were  in  relief  on  the  ob- 
verse sides,  and  on  the  reverse  were,  finely 
engraved,  the  scenes  of  their  triumphs,  with 
sonorous  Latin  lines  of  praise,  and  citation 
of  the  deeds  commemorated. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

After  this  outburst  the  boy  called  their 
attention  to  the  portraits  of  the  superintend- 
ents of  the  Academy,  Buchanan  being  the 
first  on  the  list. 

"  He  commanded  the  Merrimack  at  Hamp- 
ton Roads,  mother;  and  wasn't  it  the  'for- 
tune of  war,'  sure  enough,  when  he  went 
sailing  against  Captain  Smith's  ship  (Fa- 
ther Jerome's  Captain  Joe,  you  know) !  For 
Captain  Joe  had  been  a  midshipman  here 
under  Buchanan,  and  had  made  his  first 
cruise  in  the  Merrimack.  He  was  very 
clever  in  gunnery,  and  took  special  interest 
in  it  on  that  cruise;  and  it  must  have  been 
one  of  those  very  guns  that  he  had  han- 
dled and  commanded  that  killed  him,  and 
set  the  Congress  afire. 

Dr.  Shippen*  says  when  the  Merrimack 
(or,  as  the  'Johnnies'  called  her,  the  Vir- 
ginia] ranged  alongside,  Buchanan  sang 
out: 

"  '  Smith,  will  you  surrender? ' 

*  Surgeon  U.  S.  N.,  to  whose  devoted  courage  Cap- 
tain Smith's  family  owed  the  recovery  of  his  body  from 
the  burning  vessel. 


182  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB 

"And  he  answered:  'No! — not  while  I 
have  a  gun  left,  or  a  man  to  work  her.'  * 

"  And,  mother  dearest,  the  first  time  I  go 
up  to  Washington  I  wish  you'd  give  me  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  his  sister;  for  they 
say  she's  got  a  first-rate  portrait  of  Captain 
Joe,  and  his  sword.  This  sword  was  given 
back  to  her  father,  the  Admiral,  f  by  Cap- 
tain Tatnall,  of  the  Merrimack,  for  they 
were  old  friends;  and  he  [Tatnall]  said: 
'  Death  bridges  political  differences,' — the 
old  brick! 

"  And  here's  a  bust  you  must  both  see. 
He  isn't  ours,  'except  by  right  of  purchase,' 
like  the  old  General's  ancestors  in  the  '  Pi- 
rates of  Penzance.' ' 

"Who  is  he?"  asked  Bob's  aunt,  looking 
with  close  attention*  at  the  splendid,  rugged 
countenance,  with  its  masterful  brow  and 
sensitive  mouth. 

*  These  words  are  historical. 

f  This  officer  rendered  signal  and  distinguished  ser- 
vice to  the  Union  cause.  His  advocacy  of  iron  ships 
was  largely  instrumental  to  their  successful  adoption; 
and  I  have  been  informed  by  an  ex-Confederate  officer 
that  the  New  Ironsides  (built  by  his  advice,  named  by 
him  for  Commodore  Stewart,  and  famous  about  Hilton 
Head)  was  the  terror  of  the  Confederacy. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB..  183 

"Look  at  his  empty  sleeve,  Ma'm'selle," 
said  Robertin. 

"That  doesn't  help  me,"  she  answered, 
with  a  brilliant  smile;  "there  are  so  many 
empty  sleeves  since  the  war." 

"It's  the  Nelson  of  Trafalgar." 

"  And  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived,  I 
suppose  you  two  think?"  she  remarked. 

"I  think  he  was  great,  Ma'm'selle,  cer- 
tainly," said  Robertin,  thoughtfully.  "He 
was  not  a  good  sailor — 

"What  is  that!"  she  asked,  surprised, 
while  Bob  gasped. 

"  Why,  Steady,  what  under  the  sun — " 

"  No,  Robert, — not  a  good  sailor,  person- 
ally; for  he  didn't  bother  much  over  ropes 
and  spars,  trimming  sail,  and  all  that,  but 
left  it  to  his  sub-officers,  while  he  worked 
out  the  way  to  handle  fleets.  That  was  his 
metier;  he  felt  the  importance  of  that,  and 
he  was  a  very  great  fleet-commander.  It 
was  that  which  won  Trafalgar  to  England." 

Then,  embarrassed  by  such  a  long  speech, 
Robertin  stopped  abruptly,  and,  by  way  of 


184  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

changing  the  subject,  called  attention  to  the 
view  from  the  Annex  window. 

The  Annex  is  the  modern  addition  to  the 
library — a  beautiful  building,  finished  with- 
in and  without  in  pressed  brick ;  the  girders, 
rafters,  ceiling,  and  trimmings  being  of  an 
oak  so  rich  and  golden  in  color  as  to  look 
like  sunshine.  Its  walls  are  lined  with  val- 
uable books ;  a  wide  oaken  table  runs  down 
its  center,  and  finely-carved  oaken  chairs, 
upholstered  in  stamped  leather,  are  ranged 
about  it.  A  great  window  "gives"  on  the 
Severn,  and  looks  like  a  splendid  picture 
hung  on  the  wall.  • 

After  they  had  enjoyed  the  shifting  scene 
for  a  while,  Bob's  mother  said: 

"Come,  dear,  let  us  go  now  and  see  if 
our  flowers  have  come  from  Baltimore;  and 
then  let  us  have  an  early  dinner,  so  we  can 
go  to  confession  before  dark." 

For  it  was  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  dear 
little  lady  had  ordered  a  hamper  of  bloom 
for  the  altar,  next  day. 

The    afternoon  was   spent   in    quiet    and 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  185 

devout  preparation  for  the  great  event  of 
Christmas;  for  Father  Grotius  had  decided 
to  give  Dalrymple  conditional  baptism,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  ascertain  whether  any 
member  of  the  stricken,  agonized  household 
had  thought  of  baptizing  the  child  while 
the  young  mother,  so  beloved,  so  lovely, 
lay  dying;  and  it  was  certainly  not  done 
afterward. 

In  the  morning  (for  our  boys  had  a 
"  special  permit "  to  leave  the  Navy  Yard  at 
4. 30  a.  m. ) ,  while  the  stars  and  frost  made 
the  darkness  glorious,  they  joined  the  throng 
that  pressed  with  hurrying  feet  toward  St. 
Mary's,  for  the  first  Mass. 

The    church    is   a    fine    specimen  of   the 

% 

Gothic,  and  in  its  Christmas  garb  was  radi- 
ant. Some  of  the  Catholic  sailors  had  asked 
and  obtained  permission  to  decorate  it,  and 
the  marvelous  festoons  of  crowfoot  and 
evergreen  that  seemed  to  float  in  mid-air, — 
the  crosses,  stars,  and  garlands,  were  a  tes- 
timony of  their  skill  and  piety.  The  main 
altar  was  a  pyramid  of  light,  and  the  flow- 


186  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

ers  Mrs.  Adair  had  sent  filled  the  air  with  a 
sweetness  as  penetrating  as  the  odor  of  the 
incense. 

The  two  Roberts,  and  Bob's  mother  and 
aunt,  received  Holy  Communion,  and  to  Dal- 
rymple  came  the  great  Sacrament  of  Regen- 
eration. The  boy  was  in  such  an  exalted 
state,  and  his  soul  shone  so  clearly  from  his 
great  eyes,  that  Mrs.  Adair  fairly  started  as 
she  looked  at  him;  and  her  heart  yearned 
over  the  young  mother  who  had  died  so  un- 
timely a  death,  even  as  she  bowed  in  tearful 
gratitude  to  the  Mother  of  mothers  for  the 
white  soul  now  born  to  the  Church. 

The  little  fellow  was  dressed  in  his  parade 
uniform,  with  his  Jbiny  dirk  belted  at  his 
waist,  and  his  side-arms  polished  to  the  last 
point  of  brightness.  It  was  an  idea  of  his 
own;  for  when  Bob  suggested  his  "full 
dress "  uniform,  or  his  "  fatigue-uniform," 
he  had  said,  seriously: 

"No,  Adair;  for  I  would  never  want  to 
wear  the  '  dress '  to  a  hop  or  ball  after  being 
baptized  in  it;  and  I  wouldn't  want  to  lazy 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  187 

round  in  the  '  fatigue '  if  I  wore  that;  but  as 
it  is  a  sort  of  enlistment  into  ranks,  where 
I  do  want  to  do  my  duty,  why  I'll  just  wear 
the  clothes  I  have  on  when  I  receive  and 
obey  the  orders  that  are  making  an  officer 
of  me.  See?" 

And  Bob,  with  a  quaintly  tender  look  in 
his  merry  face,  had  answered: 

"  All  right,  chappie!  " 

As  the  sun  rose,  they  went  back  to  the 
hotel,  and  Mrs.  Adair  had  breakfast  served 
in  her  parlor.  To  each  of  the  boys  she 
gave  an  appropriate  and  handsome  gift,  and 
was  both  surprised  and  touched  to  receive 
from  her  godson  and  Eobertin  souvenirs  of 
the  day.  The  first  wa,s  a  great  knot  of 
Parma  violets,  and  the  other  a  small  ebony 
crucifix, — the  figure  of  metal,  and  black  with 
age.  As  Robertin  gave  it,  he  said: 

"  It  is  believed  to  have  belonged  to  Pere 
Marquette  himself.  That  he  blessed  it  is 
certain,  and  my  mother  venerated  it  highly." 

"  But  I  must  not  take  so  valuable  a  relic 
from  you,"  answered  Mrs.  Adair. 


188  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"I  beg  you  will,  Madame;  it  will  be  best, 
too.  For  the  holy  relic  might  get  mislaid 
or  lost,  in  spite  of  care.  You  know  I  shall 
be  here  to-day  and  anywhere  to-morrow, 
when  once  I  am  at  sea.  Besides,"  he  added, 
with  intense  earnestness,  "  I  should  like  you 
to  have  it, — you  are  Robert's  mother." 

And  again  she  saw  that  softening  of  his 
face,  that  lighting  up  of  his  eyes,  that 
proved  how  dear  Bob  was  to  him. 

"Well,"  as  Bob  remarked,  "that  was  a 
day," — one  of  the  happiest  imaginable;  and 
next  morning  the  best  of  the  holiday  was 
over,  for  the  two  ladies  went  away,  and  in 
a  few  days  the  boys  buckled  down  to  hard 
work,  which  was  not  remitted  until  the  June 
examinations  were  over,  the  practice-ships 
fitted  out  for  a  cruise,  the  anchors  weighed, 
and  the  white-winged  hulls  dropping  down 
the  Bay  as  fast  as  they  could  drive. 

Ah,  that  cruise!  Its  first  days  were  like 
a  living  poem  to  Bob  (after  he  got  over  his 
sea-sickness),  but  in  the  third  week  came  a 
stunning  shock. 


IX. 

THERE  was  a  brisk,  dry  northeaster  blowing, 
and  the  waves  ran  in  sapphire  hills  crested 
with  pearl ;  and  as  the  spray  flew  in  the  air, 
the  sun  filled  it  with  flashing  bits  of  rain- 
bow hues. 

The  middies  were  aloft,  hard  at  work 
taking  in  sail.  Suddenly  the  vessel  gave 
an  uncommonly  heavy  lurch,  and  Bob  heard 
a  faint  cry  at  his  side.  He  was  bending 
over  the  yard  with  his  hands  full  of  sail, 
and  tugging  away  like  a  good  fellow.  (For 
a  handful  of  canvas,  with  a  spanking  breeze 
stiffening  it,  is  about  as  easy  to  reef  as  a 
board.)  He  glanced  up  quickly,  and  saw 
Dalrymple  falling  into  the  water.  His 
heart  stood  still  a  moment,  then  he  sprang 
after  him,  shouting  as  he  went,  "  Man  over- 
board!" 

They  struck  the  water  almost  together, 
189 


190  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

but  while  Bob  rose  like  a  cork,  and  puffing 
like  a  young  grampus,  Dal  rose  slowly,  and 
labored  heavily.  The  waves  that  from  the 
ship's  sides  looked  so  gently  rolling,  now 
seemed  awfully  high  above  them;  and  the 
white-caps  slapped  their  faces  and  blinded 
their  eyes. 

As  Bob  struck  out,  he  kept  saying,  over 
and  over  again,  "  Our  Lady  of  Mount  Car- 
mel,  save  us!"  and  when  he  reached  Dal, 
and  seized  him  under  the  arm  with  one 
hand,  he  opened  his  mouth  for  a  good  hur- 
rah; but  a  white-cap  popped  into  it,  making 
him  sputter  and  choke ;  and  Dai's  white  face 
lay  so  close  to  the  water  that  his  joy  was 
short-lived. 

Meantime  the  ship  was  hove  to,  and  all 
was  alertness  and  action.  The  boats  were 
*'  let  go,"  manned,  and  shoved  off;  two  buoys 
were  cut  loose  and  thrown  out;  and  the 
surgeon  had  hot  blankets  and  stiff  grog 
prepared  for  the  boys;  but  even  while  Bob's 
shout  vibrated  in  the  air,  and  before  an 
order  could  be  given,  help  was  on  its  way. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Bob  and  Dal  were  in  the  foretop,  Rob- 
ertin  in  the  mizzeu ;  but  the  latter  constantly 
kept  his  eyes  on  the  two  boys,  and  was 
never  comfortable  about  them  when  there 
was  any  sea  on.  This  day  he  was  especially 
uneasy,  and  several  times,  as  he  watched 
Bob's  nimble  heels,  he  muttered: 

"  Oe  gars-Id,,  est  trop  hardi  A" 

As  the  ship  lurched,  his  eyes  and  hands 
were  fully  occupied  for  a  few  minutes; 
then  he  looked  forward,  and — Bob's  foot- 
rope  dangled  empty!  At  this  sight  Rob- 
ertin  straightened  himself  on  his  precarious 
foot-hold,  and  swept  his  hawk-eyes  around 
in  one  keen  glance  (the  fellow  next  him  said 
he  became  so  white  he  thought  he  was 
going  to  faint)  ;  and  the  great  beads  stood 
out  on  his  forehead,  although  the  Avind  was 
fresh  and  keen.  Then  came  Bob's  cry, 
and  Robertin  gathered  himself  together, 
watched  his  chance  as  the  ship  rolled,  and 
jumped. 

"  Great  Heavens  ! "  said  the  startled 
officer  of  the  deck;  "is  the  whole  Academy 
going  overboard  ?  " 


192  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

As  Robertin  rose  from  his  plunge,  he 
uttered  a  cry  so  piercing,  so  full  of  agony, 
that  it  made  itself  heard  above  the  creaking 
of  the  blocks,  the  wash  of  the  sea,  and  the 
whipping  of  the  sails. 

"  Tiens,  gars,  moi  je  metis  &  toi  !  "  and  he 
seemed  literally  to  tear  his  way  through  the 
water.  He  was  not  very  far  from  the  boys, 
for  the  motion  of  the  ship  had  covered  more 
than  the  distance  between  the  masts;  but 
he  reached  them  in  fewer  minutes  than 
seemed  possible. 

He  had  caught  up  a  buoy  as  he  swam, 
and  he  and  Bob,  by  treading  water,  made 
shift  to  get  it  on  Dal,  who  lay  limp  and  un- 
conscious across  their  arms.  Then  Rob- 
ertin  turned  to  Bob,  with  a  great  sob  in  his 
throat: 

"  Robert,  I  thought  I  had  lost  thee,"  and 
in  his  keen  dark  eyes  the  tears  rose.  But 
as  he  swung  up  on  the  crest  of  a  wave,  he 
smiled  brightly,  and  sang  out:  "  Cheer  up, 
gars  !  the  boat  is  near." 

And  it  was,  but  the  time  seemed  terribly 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  193 

long,  and  Bob  grew  almost  as  pale  as  Dal. 
Seeing  this,  Robertin  called  out  to  him, 
sharply : 

"Float!" — adding,  as  Bob  hesitated  to 
loosen  his  hold  on  Dal,  "it  is  the  best 
chance  for  all  of  us." 

Then  the  great  fellow  managed  to  keep 
Dai's  head  up,  while  he  hovered  near  Bob, 
full  of  anxiety  for  that  bright  boyish  face; 
and  he  had  never  heard  such  sweet  music 
in  his  life  as  the  "  rick-rack,  rick-rack  "  of 
the  oars  in  the  thole-pins,  and  the  ring- 
ing cheer  of  the  crew  as  the  boat  swept 
down  on  them,  and  a  dozen  hands  were 
stretched  out  to  haul  them  inboard. 

As  it  happened,  Bob  was  the  nearest, 
but  he  told  them  to  take  Dal  first;  then  he 
and  Robertin  almost  had  a  fight  as  to  which 
should  be  helped  in  last.  They  were  tum- 
bled in  between  the  thwarts,  and  covered 
with  jackets  during  the  short  pull  to  the 
ship,  and  were  received  with  the  greatest 
enthusiasm, — an  enthusiasm  tempered,  how- 
ever, by  Dai's  continued  unconsciousness. 
13 


194  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

They  were  hurried  to  the  sick-bay,  and 
the  surgeon  found  the  poor  little  chap's 
collar-bone  and  two  of  his  ribs  broken,  and 
his  body  badly  bruised;  for  he  had  fallen 
partly  on  his  side,  and  the  wonder  was  that 
he  had  not  been  killed  outright. 

"  A  plucky  little  beggar,  to  swim  at  all!" 
said  the  doctor;  and,  turning  to  Bob  :  "Be- 
yond doubt,  you  saved  his  life,  Adair.  It 
will  be  a  nice  item  in  the  report  of  the 
cruise.  Eh?"  • 

Bob's  ready  color  showed  even  through 
his  pallor. 

"  I  didn't  any  more  than  Steady,  sir, — 
not  as  much;  for  he  saved  us  both." 

To  which  Steady  responded  by  a  brisk 
"  Taise  toi,  p'tit  choux  ! "  For  under  strong 
excitement  he  always  relapsed  into  his 
French,  and  often  his  idioms. 

"But,  doctor,"  he  added,  with  a  loving 
glance  at  the  p'tit  choux  that  belied  his 
sharp  tongue,  "look  at  this  boy,  and  see  if 
he  is  hurt  in  any  way." 

"Of  course  I'm  not,"  said  Bob;  "and 
how  about  you?" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  195 

"  Oh,  I'm  all  right,"  he  answered,  indif- 
ferently, and  shrugging  his  shoulders;  "I'll 
go  shift  into  dry  clothes,  and  return  to  my 
work." 

And  he  did,  to  the  great  delight  of  his 
classmates,  who,  however,  found  him  very 
unresponsive  to  everything  except  praise  of 
Bob  and  sympathy  for  Dal. 

The  first  free  moment  he  had  he  went 
below  to  see  Bob.  The  latter  was  lying 
with  his  eyes  closed,  but  opened  them  im- 
mediately on  Robertin's  approach. 

"  Steady,"  said  he,  "  you  saved  my  life. 
What  shall  I  say  to  you?" 

"Nothing,  Eobert,  only  thank  God  and 
Our  Blessed  Lady.  Ah!"  he  added  with  a 
shudder,  "  when  I  saw  your  place  empty  I 
thought  my  heart  would  burst;  and  as  I 
swam  for  you,  the  water  felt  just  like  lead, 
and  I  could  hardly  make  headway.  And  all 
the  time  I  prayed,  not " — he  remarked,  with 
a  gesture  of  humility — "  as  I  should  have 
done,  but  with  a  fierce  challenge  to  God. 
I  said:  '  Thou  wert  an  only  Son.  Thou  must 


196  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

save  him  for  the  sake  of  Thy  Mother ! '  and 
to  her  I  cried:  'You  dare  not  let  him  per- 
ish— for  the  love  of  your  Son.'  God  forgive 
me!" 

And  for  the  second  time  that  day  (and  in 
his  life)  the  tears  stood  in  his  eyes.  Then 
he  added,  softly: 

"And  I  think  He  has  forgiven  me,  for 
I  have  you  safe.  And  she — ah!  she  is  so 
gentle  and  loving!  I  will  serve  her  better 
the  rest  of  my  life." 

Poor  Bob,  quite  overcome  by  this  out- 
burst, hardly  knew  what  to  answer;  but, 
with  the  impulse  of  a  grateful  and  affection- 
ate heart,  he  threw  his  arms  about  Robertin, 
as  he  bent  over  him,  and  gave  him  a  hug 
that  certainly  entitled  him  to  the  name  of 
Bruin  Minor.  Then  I  think  the  two  boys 
would  have  cried  in  a  minute,  but  Robertin 
kissed  Bob,  and  that  youngster  broke  into  a 
merry  laugh. 

"My  eye,  Steady!"  said  he;  "don't  let 
the  fellows  get  wind  of  this,  or  we'll  be 
chaffed  out  of  our  lives." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  197 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Bobertin,  sinking  back 
into  his  usual  gravity,  half  ashamed  of  his 
emotion,  although  still  shaken  by  it. 

"  And  now,"  said  Bob,  as  Robertin  sat 
by  him,  their  hands  fast  locked,  "  as  soon 
as  ever  we  get  to  Funchal  we  will  go  to 
Holy  Communion  in  thanksgiving  ;  for, 
after  all,  it  was  a  mighty  narrow  squeak." 

And  it  certainly  was;  for  the  ship  was 
running  free,  the1  sea  was  brisk,  the  fall 
high,  and  the  two  lads  first  in  were  inex- 
perienced swimmers. 

That  night  Bob  tossed  and  turned  for 
hours  before  he  fell  asleep,  and  even  when 
he  did  it  was  a  fitful  and  uneasy  rest, 
haunted  by  suffocating  dreams  of  the  day's 
adventure.  Once,  as  he  awakened  with  a 
start,  he  saw  Dal  sitting  on  the  side  of  his 
berth.  A  shaft  of  moonlight  came  in  at 
the  port,  and  fell  athwart  his  slight  figure. 
His  bare  feet  were  on  the  ground,  and  he 
bent  forward,  with  his  hand  on  his  breast, 
breathing  heavily. 

"  Why,  laddie,"  said  Bob,  "  do  you  want 


198  MIDSHIPMAN  DOR 

anything?  You  should  have  called  me. 
You  mustn't  stir." 

"Oh!  please,  Adair,  I'm  almost  smoth- 
ered." 

Bob  was  up  in  an  instant.  He  opened 
the  port  wide,  caught  up  a  towel,  twisted  it 
into  a  fan,  and  began  fanning  him. 

"Here,  lean  on  me,"  he  said;  and,  put- 
ting his  arm  round  the  sound  side,  he 
gently  drew  the  boy  toward  him;  but  Dal 
gave  a  choking,  gasping  cough,  and  from 
his  mouth  the  blood  and  froth  came  pouring. 

Bob  was  terrified,  but  he  kept  him  well 
up,  and  gave  a  shrill  whistle,  knowing  that 
would  carry  as  far  as  a  call,  and  would  at- 
tract attention  without  rousing  up  every- 
body; besides,  it  wouldn't  jar  Dal  so  much 
as  the  effort  of  shouting. 

A  marine  instantly  appeared,  and  Bob 
told  him-  to  call  the  doctor,  and  report  to 
the  watch  officer  that  Cadet  Midshipman 
Dalrymple  had  a  bad  hemorrhage. 

The  doctor  came  hurrying  in,  in  undress, 
and  found  Dal  lying  across  Bob's  knee, 
white  and  unconscious. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  199 

"I  didn't  know  what  to  do,  sir,"  said 
Bob,  anxiously.  "  He  was  such  an  awful 
color  I  thought  I'd  better  lay  him  down 
right  here,  for  I  didn't  dare  lift  him  into 
his  bunk." 

"Eight,"  said  the  doctor,  mechanically; 
"when  a  fainting  person's  face  is  white, 
lay  him  down ;  when  it  is  red,  keep  his  head 
well  up."  Then  he  muttered,  as  he  gently 
moved  Dal,  "  This  is  just  what  I  was  afraid 
of;  his  lung  is  pierced,  and  his  effort  to  sit 
up  has  done  the  business." 

"Will  he  die,  sir?"  asked  Bob,  in  an 
awestruck  whisper. 

"I  hope  not,  of  course,"  said  the  doctor; 
but  he  looked  so  anxious,  and  was  so  long 
about  his  preparations  and  instructions  for 
the  rest  of  the  night,  and  gave  his  assistant 
such  special  charge  to  call  him  up  in  an 
hour,  that  Bob's  heart  sank.  He  had 
learned  to  love  Dal  dearly,  and  to  think  of 
his  dying  was  a  hard  blo'w. 

The  next  few  days  confirmed  the  doctor's 
fears.  Hemorrhage  followed  hemorrhage, 


200  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

and  just  as  the  peak  of  Ariero  rose  sharp 
and  clear  against  the  sky,  it  was  evident  to 
everyone  that  the  child  was  sinking.  His 
courage  and  endurance  were  amazing,  and, 
although  every  breath  was  agony,  no  com- 
plaints escaped  his  lips,  only  his  great,  sad 
eyes  implored  relief,  and  his  one  expressed 
longing  was  for  the  Sacraments  before  he 
died. 

His  favorite  nurses  were  Eobertin  and 
Bob,  who  spent  all  their  spare  time  with 
him.  He  asked  for  Peyton  several  times, 
but  he  came  only  once;  for  he  could  not 
bear  the  sight  of  pain,  and  hated  to  think 
of  solemn  things.  Of  course  he  was  sorry 
for  "  the  poor  little  beggar,"  but  he  could  do 
him  no  good,  he  said,  and  there  wasn't  any 
use  in  being  miserable  when  one  couldn't 
help  things. 

On  that  last  evening  of  his  life  Dal  lay 
in  Robertin's  arms,  his  head  pillowed  on  his 
broad  breast;  Bob  sat  at  his  feet,  with 
blanched  face,  and  his  teeth  set  in  the  ef- 
fort to  repress  his  grief. 

The  captain,  the  surgeon,  and  the  captain 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  201 

of  Dai's  watch  stood  near,  with  uncovered 
heads.  As  the  light  slipped  down  the  west, 
the  dying  boy  opened  his  eyes  and  whis- 
pered: 

"  Captain—" 

"  Aye,  my  lad,"  said  he,  stepping  forward. 

"Write,  please,  sir." 

"What  shall  I  write?" 

"  My  will." 

And  the  captain,  who  was  a  man  of  few 
words  and  many  deeds,  pulled  out  his  note- 
book and  stylographic,  and  wrote: 

"To  Robertin  I  leave  $5,000;  to  Adair, 
my  library  and  pictures;  to  Father  Grotius, 
$10,000,  and—" 

He  stopped,  panting  heavily. 

Robertin  and  Bob,  greatly  startled,  said: 
"Let  it  go";  but  he  nodded  faintly,  and 
added: 

"  The  rest — yes,  my  guardian  can  attend 
to  that."  And  with  his  failing  strength  he 
signed  his  name:  "Mary  Van  Alstine  Dai- 
ry m  pie." 

Then  he  looked  up  with  a  shadow  of  his 


202  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

old  smile,  and  the  ghosts  of  his  pretty  dim- 
ples appeared  for  a  moment  in  his  cheeks. 

"I  love  you  two — Mother  Mary's  boys." 
Then,  "  Lift  me  up,  Steady,  and  say- 
say—" 

"  Domine  Deus9"  asked  Robertin. 

The  dying  boy  nodded,  and  when  the 
beautiful  prayer  of  poor  Queen  Mary  in 
prison  was  ended,  he  sighed  rather  than 
said,  "  Now —  "  but  his  voice  failed. 

"  The  Memorare,  Steady,"  said  Bob,  with 
a  sharp  sob;  and  Robertin  began. 

"Is  it  wise  to  excite  him  so  by  praying, 
and — er — that  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  un- 
easily. 

"  Well,  I  do  not  know,"  said  the  doctor, 
thoughtfully.  "  These  Catholics  are  such 
queer  fish,  it  seems  to  settle  rather  than 
upset  them." 

Dai's  fingers  pulled  feebly  at  his  neck. 

"Oppressed,  my  boy?"  asked  the  doctor. 

He  faintly  shook  his  head,  but  smiled  as 
Bob  gently  but  quickly  drew  out  the  little 
pearl  rosary-string  he  wore  about  his  neck, 
and  put  it  in  his  frail  hands. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  203 

"Begin — quick!"  he  gasped. 

And  Robertin,  holding  before  him  the 
crucifix  he  always  wore,  began  the  Rosary. 

His  deep,  quiet  voice  rose  on  the  stillness 
like  a  tide  of  peace,  and  the  dying  child's 
eyes  grew  larger  and  brighter.  In  the  midst 
of  the  decade  of  the  Nativity  he  suddenly 
joined  in  the  responses,  and  his  voice,  so 
long  sunk  to  a  whisper,  was  clear  and  loud 
as  he  said: 

"Holy  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  pray  for 
us  sinners,  now  and  at  the  hour  of  our 
death—" 

Then  the  red  torrent  rushed  from  his  lips, 
and  Dai's  clean  white  soul  was  with  God. 

Outside,  the  song  of  the  sailors  rose  full 
and  strong  as  they  let  the  anchor  go,  and 
the  ship  swung  round  to  her  berth.  The 
full  moon  floated  like  a  pale  reflection  of 
the  setting  sun,  and  by  the  dead  boy  knelt 
the  two  Roberts — Bob,  with  the  tears  blind- 
ing his  sight;  Robertin,  with  his  mouth 
stern-set,  and  the  veins  in  his  forehead 
standing  out  like  a  whip-cord ;  but  the  hearts 
and  voices  of  both  rose  in  the  De  profundis. 


THERE  was  a  great  military  funeral,  and 
for  a  few  days  the  middies  spoke  often  of 
their  little  shipmate,  and  moralized,  in 
their  boyish  fashion,  about  life  and  death; 
but  after  that  Dal  was  put  aside,  except  by 
the  few  who  had  known  and  loved  him  best; 
— not  forgotten,  but  "  put  aside  " ;  for  in  the 
Army  and  Navy,  the  "Dead  past  buries 
its  dead." 

And  this  is  the  reason  that,  when  the 
last  three  volleys  are  fired  over  the  grave, 
and  the  sleeper  is  left  in 

"The  low,  green  tent,  whose  curtain  never  outward 
swings," 

the  funeral  train  (which  has  marched  with 
reversed  arms  and  solemn  tread  to  the  som- 
bre, thrilling  music  of  the  Dead  March) 
wheels  about,  and  steps  out  homeward  to 
the  gayest  strains  the  band  can  play.  Or, 
204 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  205 

if  the  burial  be  at  sea,  when  the  dead  man 
is  sewed  in  his  hammock  and  launched  into 
the  deep,  the  gratings  are  unlashed  and  re- 
placed, and  all  hands  are  piped  to  some 
duty  For  the  life  and  spirit  of  the  living 
must  be  kept  healthy,  and  free  from  mor- 
bidness; and  grief  unhinges  a  man's  nerves 
sorely. 

Bob  and  Robertin  held  the  dead  boy's 
memory  tenderly  and  tenaciously,  and  as 
they  knelt  to  receive  their  Communion  of 
thanksgiving  in  the  Mount  Church  their 
hearts  were  full  as  they  recalled  that  last 
Sunday  at  St.  Mary's,  when  they  had  all 
approached  the  Holy  Table  together,  little 
dreaming  that  Dal  was  receiving  his  Viati- 
cum. But,  like  the  healthy,  hearty  boys 
they  were,  they  set  about  making  the  most 
of  their  shore-leave,  and  after  they  had 
breakfasted  at  a  queer  little  cafe  they  hired 
two  mules  and  started  to  see  the  island. 

The  peak  of  Ariero  was  their  objective 
point,  but  their  progress  was  at  first  slow; 
for  they  stopped  every  few  minutes  to  enjoy 


206  MIDSHIPMAN  non. 

the  strange  and  beautiful  view.  The  moun- 
tains stretched  in  a  line  not  unlike  a  great 
natural  amphitheater,  broken  here  and  there 
by  brawling  torrents  and  deep  ravines  and 
chasms.  The  basalt  cropped  through  the 
luxuriance  of  tree  and  flower  in  fantastic 
peaks  and  turrets,  or  else  descended  boldly 
in  great  sheets  and  walls  to  the  sea.  The 
red  tufa  added  its  basic  tint  to  the  dark 
grays,  reds,  cream-whites,  and  browns;  and 
as  the  light  shifted  and  changed  in  the  grow- 
ing day,  the  sea,  sky,  and  shore  took  on  won- 
derful colors,  in  the  midst  of  which  Ariero 
rose  like  a  pyramid  of  flowers  to  the  cloud- 
line  ;  and  indeed  it  thrusts  its  cap  so  far  into 
the  upper  air  that  aquatic  plants  are  often 
found  growing  thereon.  The  Mount  Church 
stood  out  on  its  rock-bracket,  like  a  pious 
hand  holding  the  crucifix  to  the  world  of 
stone  and  water;  and  flumes  and  rifts  in 
the  mountain  sides  disclosed  glimpses  of  a 
beautiful  country  beyond. 

A  soft  wind  blew  from  the  sea,  and  the 
"  jocund  day "  crept  into  the  bones  of  our 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  207 

boys  and  their  long-eared,  short-legged 
steeds.  They  felt  distinctly  festive,  and  be- 
gan to  mend  their  pace  so  effectually  that, 
as  Bob  said,  they  were  soon  "  scudding 
under  bare  poles."  Of  course  they  rode 
like  sailors — that  is,  frantically — wherever 
their  mules  took  them,  and  they  had  a  glo- 
rious time.  It  went  to  Bob's  heart  to  crush 
the  heliotropes,  the  lilies,  and  the  great, 
glowing  geraniums,  that  made  a  fragrant 
tangle  everywhere;  but  Robertin  sensibly 
remarked : 

"  They  are  the  wood-carpet  here,  Robert, 
— the  weeds — and  where  you  crush  them 
new  ones  spring;  for  they  are  hardy — ces 
fleurettes." 

"That's  so,  old  Steady,"  answered  Bob; 
"  and  as  I  am  neither  a  sea-gull  nor  a  dear 
little  fairy  I  reckon  they'll  have  to  go 
smash.  But  don't  they  just  smell,  though! 
It's  like  having  a  bouquet  tied  to  your 
nose." 

And  it  was,  with  the  addition  that  through 
it  all  ran  the  keen  perfume  of  the  sea. 


208  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

They  spent  a  glorious  hour  on  the  moun- 
tain top.  How  the  sun  did  shine,  how  the 
lizards  darted  about,  resplendent  in  color, 
and  the  rabbits  scudded  by  with  startled 
eyes  and  vibrant  ears!  And  how  the  gulls 
and  sail-boats  wheeled  and  dipped  in  the 
two  blue  arches  that  girt  the  island. 

But  the  afternoon  was  creeping  on,  and 
they  had  to  think  of  getting  down.  Slowly 
they  dragged  themselves  from  the  fragrant 
herbs  and  flowers,  from  the  beautiful  rice- 
grass,  and  lingeringly  looked  their  good- 
bye to  the  scene;  and,  as  they  looked,  Bob 
sighed: 

"Poor  little  Dal!" 

"Jfon  ami"  said  Bobertin,  his  hand  on 
Bob's  knee,  "he's  in  a  far  lovelier  land. 
God  made  this — yes,  and  it  is  fair  to  see — 
but  the  other  is  God."  And  he  raised  his 
cap  reverently  for  an  instant.  Then  he 
added,  with  his  grave,  sweet  smile:  "I  have 
often  thought  that  the  Star  shone  on  the 
dear  little  lad  Christmas  morning." 

"What  do  you  mean,  old  man?" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  209 

"  We  have  a  legend  that  whoever  goes  to 
the  first  Mass  of  Christmas  with  a  sinless 
heart  and  pure  mind,  will  catch  the  light  of 
Bethlehem's  Star.  And  it  will  make  him 
blessed,  and  if  he  begs  any  special  favor  of 
God  he  will  receive  it,  if  it  be  for  God's 
honor  and  glory." 

"  Well,  but  that's  pretty!  Where  do  you 
pick  up  such  a  lot  of  things,  Steady?" 

"  Oh!  "  said  Bobertin,  confused  as  always 
when  attention  was  attracted  to  himself, 
"I  could  hardly  say.  Look,  Robert,  isn't 
that  a  farm-house  ?  " 

"Hurrah!"  exclaimed  Bob;  "it  is,  and 
I'm  as  hungry  as  a  kite !  Let's  prick  along, 
and  get  some  bread  and  milk." 

And  off  he  clattered  like  a  young  whirl- 
wind, with  Robertin  after  him. 

They  found  the  farmer's  wife  was  a  rosy 
Irish  girl,  who  had  come  out  as  nurse  to  an 
English  officer's  child;  but  the  child  died, 
and  she  married  one  of  the  melancholy, 
dark-eyed  peasants  of  the  country,  who  go 
about  looking  like  the  chorus  of  an  Italian 
14 


210  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

opera,  and  have  the  manners  of  Spanish 
princes. 

When  our  boys  politely  made  their  re- 
quest, little  knowing  that  milk  was  one  of 
the  luxuries  of  the  island,  she  hospitably 
bustled  about,  saying: 

"  Indade  ye  shall  have  bread  and  milk, 
an'  somethin'  stay  in'  besides;  for  it  isn't  me 
Pa-dro  and  me  that's  goin'  to  let  ye  go  by 
hungry.  An'  is  it  Americans  ye  are  ?  Well, 
glory  be  to  God!  it's  meself  has  a  brother  in 
that  same  place.  Dennis  McCarthy  is  his 
name,  an'  it's  the  prosp'rous  man  he  is  by 
this.  He  wint  to  Pittsburg,  where  he's 
blowin'  the  lungs  of  him  to  tatthers  in  a 
glass  factory ;  but  he  gets  the  wages,  though ! 
And — -aha,  here's  me  Pa-dro  a-comin'  now!" 

And  she  called  out  (perhaps  not  sorry  to 
show  off  her  Portuguese)  to  the  tall  figure 
that  approached,  toiling  along  under  a  heavy 
load  of  straw.*  His  wide  white  cottonade 
trousers  looked  spotless  in  the  distance; 
his  shirt  was  open  at  the  throat,  showing 

*  In  Madeira  the  harvests  are  sown  in  October  and 
reaped  in  June. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  211 

a  bronzed,  hardy  breast  and  throat,  on  which 
hung  a  great  silver  medal  of  Our  Lady; 
and  his  long  blue  cap  and  short  blue  jacket 
contrasted  well  with  the  yellow  rye-stalks. 

He  saluted  the  boys  with  much  natural 
dignity,  and  made  them  a  little  speech 
(which  his  wife  translated),  to  the  effect  that 
he  laid  himself  at  their  feet,  and  his  house 
was  theirs,  and  all  it  contained.  Then,  un- 
der kindly  compulsion,  they  sat  down  to  a 
capital  meal  of  what  tasted  like  venison, 
but  was  wild  goat;  aqua  pe,*  a  sort  of  po- 
lenta made  of  chestnuts,  an  abundance  of 
rye-bread,  and  a  glass  of  milk  apiece. 

When  they  were  ready  to  go,  Mrs.  Pedro 
quite  declined  to  take  anything  in  payment; 
so  when  her  back  was  turned  they  slipped  a 
gold  piece  under  the  jug  of  aqua  p£,  and 
went  out  to  mount  their  mules,  pretty  stiff, 
it  must  be  confessed,  from  their  morning 
ride. 

As  they  were  tightening  up  the  girths, 
Pedro  spoke  a  few  words  to  his  wife,  where- 

*  A  thin,  light  drink,  made  from  the  crushed  stems 
and  pulp  of  the  grapes  from  the  wine-presses. 


212  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

upon  she  slapped  him  on  the  shoulder  with 
an  "Och,  but  your're  the  boy!  He  says" 
— turning  to  Bob  and  Bobertin — "  mebbe 
instead  o'  ridiii'  down,  ye'd  like  to  slide 
down  on  a  sled." 

"Come  now,  Mrs.  Pedro,"  said  Bob, 
"  are  you  not  ashamed  to  try  and  play  a 
trick  on  two  poor  little  midshipmen?  " 

"  It  ain't  a  joke  at  all  at  all,"  she  laughed, 
"  but  a  rale  plan.  The  hills  are  too  steep 
for  wagons,  an'  we  slide  manny  a  thing 
down  on  the  sleds." 

"What  do  they  goon?" 

"  Sure  on  their  own  wooden  runs,  wid 
grease  rubbed  in  to  kape  'em  from  stickiu'." 

"Why,  that  would  be  immense!"  said 
Bob,  with  dancing  eyes ;  and  even  Robertin 
looked  excited.  "But  the  mules?"  he  ad- 
ded; "I'm  afraid  we  can't  leave  them." 

"An'  ye  shan't,"  she  answered;  "I'll 
ride  'em  down  meself,  an'  Pedro  an'  me  can 
haul  the  sled  up." 

And  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  dashing 
down  the  mountain  side  at  a  rate  that  took 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  213 

their  breath,  and  made  Pedro's  blue  cap 
stand  up  straight.  A  sudden  stop  jolted 
them  off  in  a  heap;  but  Pedro,  his  dignity- 
unruffled  by  standing  on  his  head  (although 
so  much  can  not  be  said  of  his  clothing  and 
hair),  turned  the  sled  up,  greased  the  run- 
ners carefully  and  amply,  and  off  they 
streaked  again. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  slide,  after  thanking 
Pedro  heartily,  and  vainly  urging  some 
small  change  on  him,  they  watched  with 
some  anxiety  Mrs.  Pedro  and  the  mules  as 
they  came  down  the  almost  sheer  slope; 
but  the  wise  little  creatures  neither  stumbled 
nor  balked,  and  the  Irish  girl  held  on  tight, 
so  the  boys  were  soon  trotting  off  for  the 
harbor,  full  o£  their  day's  adventure. 

Another  day  was  spent  in  the  Coural — 
the  sheepfold — an  immense  valley  near  the 
village  of  Comera  de  Lobos,  which  is  walled 
in  by  almost  perpendicular  hills  a  thousand 
feet  high;  another  in  the  vineyards,  and 
rabbit  shooting ;  and  then  it  was  up  anchor, 
and  off  for  home. 


214  MIDSHIPMAN  BOD. 

At  the  Academy  they  found  several  tel- 
egrams from  Mr.  O ,  Dai's  guardian,  re- 
questing, if  possible,  their  immediate  pres- 
ence in  New  York.  "  It  just  fitted,"  as  Bob 
said;  for  he  and  Robertin  had  a  few  days' 
leave,  and  his  mother  and  aunt  wanted  to 
stop  on  their  way  from  the  mountains,  to 
do  their  fall  shopping.  So  the  boys  packed 
their  "kits,"  had  their  papers  made  out, 
and  started. 

Mr.  O met  them  at  the  depot,  and 

rattled  them  off  to  the  Union  League,  where 
they  lunched.  He  thanked  them  earnestly 
for  coming,  and  said  he  had  asked  it  of 
them  because  they  had  known  Dal  so  well, 
"better,"  he  added  remorsefully,  "t.han  I 
did,  and  can  advise  me  what  to  do  about 
certain  things. 

"  You  see,"  he  said,  "  he  has  left  every- 
thing so  entirely  to  me  that  I  feel  doubly 
anxious  to  do  the  square  thing  by  him. 
Now,  there  are  a  lot  of  diamonds  that  be- 
longed to  his  mother.  What  had  I  better 
do  with  them?" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  215 

"Perhaps,"  replied  Bob,  hesitatingly, 
"  he  would  have  liked  your  wife  and  daugh- 
ters to  have  them." 

"No;  I  don't  think  so," — decisively, — 
"  for  he  never  saw  them  but  once  in  his  life. 
Isn't  there  some  use  they  could  be  put  to  in 
your  church  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  no  end  of  uses." 

"  Well,  for  instance,  now.  You  know  there 
is  no  need  to  sell  them  to  raise  money;  for 
he  left  a  tidy  lot  of  that,  which  I  mean  to 
divide  between  the  orphan  asylums  and 
Brace's  Home  for  Destitute  Children." 

"  In  that  case,  then,  sir,  I'd  suggest  that 
the  gold  should  be  made  into  a  chalice,  and 
the  stones  set  in  it.  You  know,  believing 
as  we  do  in  the  Real  Presence,  we  think 
there  is  nothing  too  beautiful  or  too  valuable 
for  the  altar.  Then  the  chalice  could  be 
given  to  some  church  or  chapel.  Eh, 
Steady?" 

"As  a  perpetual  memorial  of  the  little 
one?  Yes,  Robert.  And  if—" 

"  Go  ahead." 


210  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"If  there  is-not  enough  gold,"  said  Eob- 

ertin,  directing  his  level  gaze  at  Mr.  O , 

"  I  should  like  to  add  it  from  what  he  gave 
me." 

"  And  I,"  said  Bob. 

"  No,  boys,"  answered  Mr.  O ,  "  that 

will  be  my  part.  Don't  grudge  it,  for  it's 
precious  little.  Ah ! "  he  added',  with  a 
melancholy  look  in  his  fine  face,  "  that  re- 
ligion of  yours  is  a  great  thing,  Some  day, 
when  I  have  time — when  I  have  time — " 

Just  then  the  clocks  chimed  eleven,  and, 
recalled  to  the  race  for  gold,  he  excused 
himself  hastily,  invited  them  to  dinner,  and 
rushed  off  to  the  Exchange;  for  he  had 
dipped  heavily  into  wheat,  and  was  then 
overdue  in  the  ring  where  the  "  bulls  "  and 
"  bears  "  fight  for  the  upper  hand. 

The  chalice  was  soon  completed.  It  was 
as  gorgeous  in  chasing  and  carving  as  Tif- 
fany could  make  it,  and  was  fairly  crusted 
with  splendid  gems.  It  was  given,  by  the 
wish  of  the  boys,  to  St.  Mary's  of  the  Sea — 
a  little  chapel  they  found  while  hunting  out 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  217 

Lieut.  Berry's  school  ship,  the  St.  Marifs — 
a  quaint  structure,  around  whose  weather- 
beaten  eaves  the  sea-winds  piped  and 
shrilled,  and  on  whose  altar  Mass  was  daily- 
said  for  sailor-men  living  and  dead,  and  to 
whose  congregation  Father  Moriarty  often 
told  the  story  of  the  little  lad  who  bore  the 
name  of  Our  Lady,  and  who  died  in  his 
baptismal  innocence. 


XI 


THE  new  academic  year  brought  new  duties, 
new  scenes,  new  friends,  and  some  new 
complications.  For  instance,  as  Bob  went 
to  boat-drill  one  afternoon,  he  came  on 
an  unexpected  group.  Two  of  the  Jap- 
anese stood  leaning  against  the  railing  near 
the  carpenter's  shop,  looking  sullen  and 
half-frightened;  while  Saito,  his  usually 
pleasant  face  distorted  with  anger,  was 
threading  his  way,  in  his  stocking-feet,  in 
and  out,  around  and  between  his  shoes, 
which  were  set  about  a  foot  apart  on  the 
walk. 

As  he  went,  he  kept  his  eyes  steadily 
fixed  on  his  two  countrymen,  and  muttered 
or  chanted  words  in  his  native  tongue.  At 
certain  points  of  the  recitative  his  anger 
seemed  to  half  suffocate  him,  and  then,  with 
218 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  219 

a  look  of  elfish  malice,  he  would  spit  at  his 
shoes  and  to  the  four  cardinal  points. 

"My  eye!"  said  Bob,  " what  in  the  mis- 
chief— " 

"Ah!"  said  Saito,  slowly 'and  solemnly, 
"  bear  witness,  Adair.  I  have  cursed  them 
by  the  '  twelve  signs ' — their  comings  and 
their  goings.  I  have  set  a  mark  upon  the 
North,  the  South,  the  East,  and  the  West. 
I  wish  they  may  die  away  from  home,  and 
lie  far  from  the  bones  of  their  fathers." 

"  Why,  Mick,"  (they  called  him  the  Mi- 
kado,  and  this  was  the  friendly  shortening 
up  of  it,)  "what  in  the  world  have  they 
been  doing?  " 

"  Doing  !     They  have  insulted  me." 

"  But  look  here,  old  boy,  it's  perfectly 
awful  to  wish  things  like  that  to  fellows!" 

"Don't  you  get  mad  ever,  eh?"  asked 
Saito. 

"  Yes,  I'm  sorry  to  say  I  do — tearing  mad 
sometimes." 

"  Well,  then  don't  you  want  fellows 
killed?" 


220  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  No,"  said  Bob,  roundly. 

"Why?"  asked  Saito,  in  surprise. 

"Why!"  echoed  Bob;  "why,  what  would 
be  the  use  of  it?" 

"Vengeance!"  said  the  Jap,  with  gleam- 
ing eyes,  his  long,  yellow  fingers  contract- 
ing nervously. 

"But  that's  heathenish,  Mick,  and  you 
are  a  Christian." 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  Our  Lord  died  to  bring  peace  and 
good-will." 

"  But,"  said  Saito,  naively,  "  that  was  so 
long  ago!" 

"His  death,  yes;  but  His  law  is  alive, 
all  the  same.  Like  your  Fusiyama,  don't 
you  know?  Men  come  and  men  go,  but 
'the  mountain'  stays." 

"  Ha!  "  said  the  Jap,  with  a  quick,  pleased 
smile.  "  But  why  you  feel  so?  Lots  of  fel- 
lows don't." 

"  Becaiise  that's  what  the  Church  teaches, 
and  if  you're  a  Catholic  you've  got  to 
mind." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  221 

"Cath'lic?     What's  that?" 

"Anybody  that  belongs  to  the  Church — 
the  Church  Our  Lord  established,"  said 
Bob,  feeling  the  subject  too  vast  to  enter 
upon  there  or  then;  for  the  bugler  was 
mounting  the  steps,  and  if  he  wasn't  in  his 
seat,  with  his  hand  on  his  oar,  when  his 
name  was  called,  somebody  would  know  the 
reason  why.  So  he  turned  to  go,  adding  : 

"  Come  now,  Mick,  uncurse  those  chaps, 
and  let  them  alone.  It's  bad  for  your  health, 
my  boy,  to  get  mad  in  this  climate — makes 
you  bilious,  and  spoils  your  appetite." 

And  he  smiled  his  brightest  at  the  glow- 
ering little  heathen. 

"No,  I  will  not — uncurse,  do  you  say?" 
asked  Saito,  with  a  glare  at  the  offenders; 
"  but  to  please  you  " — and  he  bowed  like  a 
grandee — "  I  will  let  them  go." 

And  he  slipped  into  his  shoes,  and  walked 
after  Bob,  his  minute  figure  stiff  as  a  ram- 
rod, and  with  dignity  enough,  as  the  latter 
afterward  told  Robertin,  "for  a  pasha  of 
nine  tails — pigtails,  I  mean." 


222  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

But,  although  he  laughed  over  it  in  some 
of  its  aspects,  the  scene  as  a  whole  weighed 
on  him,  and  he  and  Robertin  managed,  in 
one  way  or  another,  after  this,  to  see  a  good 
deal  of  the  Mikado,  and  to  draw  him  into 
the  circle  of  their  intimates,  which  circle 
included  a  lot  of  not  only  the  jolliest,  clev- 
erest fellows  in  the  Academy,  but  nearly 
all  the  oddities  as  well.  "  A  regular  hennie- 
pennie  and  turkie-lurkie  crowd,"  Bob  called 
it  sometimes  in  confidence  to  B/obertiu,  and 
in  joking  allusion  to  the  old  nursery  story. 
And  certainly  the  boy,  with  his  bright  tem- 
perament, his  honest  soul,  his  clean  mind, 
and  his  physical  perfections,  did  attract  to 
himself  not  only  kindred  spirits,  but  the 
weak,  the  queer,  the  sad,  and  the  shy;  for 
they  always  felt  sure  of  sympathy  and  pa- 
tience, at  least, — two  qualities  as  needful 
as  courage  and  strength,  if  one  wants  to 
serve  his  fellow-men. 

A  few  days  after  "the  incantation  scene," 
Kobertin  distinguished  himself  in  a  way 
that  filled  his  class  with  pride  at  his 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  223 

"savey,"  set  the  Academy  in  a  roar,  and 
forced  the  upper  classmen  to  the  conclusion 
that  Bruin  Major  was  "up  to  a  trick  or  two 
worth  knowing." 

The  practice  of  hazing,  which  had  been 
pretty  successfully  kept  under  during  the 
year  the  two  Roberts  were  "  plebes,"  broke 
out  with  fresh  force  in  this  their  third  class- 
year.  Among  the  first  classmen  was  a  no- 
torious "  hazer  " — a  ridiculous  little  creature, 
who  looked  like  a  canary-bird,  and  put  on 
airs  enough  for  "a  shipload  of  admirals" 
(Bob's  comparison,  of  course). 

He  came  down  to  the  Phlox's  wharf  one 
afternoon,  where  Robertin  and  a  group  of 
classmates  were  waiting  for  Bob.  They  had 
a  "  permit "  to  go  sailing  in  a  "  bug-eye  " 
— a  craft  peculiar  to  the  Chesapeake — and 
three  or  four  of  them  were  baling  the  boat, 
examining  the  ropes,  wetting  down  the 
sails  (for  the  wind  was  light),  etc.;  but 
Robertin  was  standing,  craning  his  neck 
for  the  first  glimpse  of  Bob. 

Up  stepped   the   "Peacock"    (his  name 


224  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

was  really  Babcock,  but  the  change  was 
irresistible),  and,  in  his  piping  treble,  sang 
out:  "I  wish  you  to  go  in  swimming  Mr. 
Bobertin." 

"  Thank  you  Mr.  Babcock,  I  have  no  de- 
sire to  go  in  swimming.  A  previous  en- 
gagement." 

"But,  Mr.  Bobertin,"  he  squeaked,  "I 
order  you  to  go  in  swimming." 

This  was  conclusive,  for  he  was  Bober- 
tin's  superior  officer. 

Bruin  Major  glanced  down  at  his  uniform. 

"  Strip  off  your  coat,  your  trousers,  and 
vest,  Mr.  Bobertin,"  ordered  the  Peacock; 
"  and  take  a  header  off  the  wharf." 

Bobertin  looked  very  glum,  but  suddenly 
his  eyes  twinkled,  and  the  fellow  nearest 
him  said  afterward  he  saw  his  mouth  twitch. 
In  the  mean  time  a  crowd  of  first  and  second 
classmen  gathered,  chuckling  over  the  fan. 

Bobertin  slowly  "peeled,"  the  Peacock 
standing  near  to  see  his  orders  faithfully 
executed. 

"  That's  it! "  he  said,  approvingly.   "  Now 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  225 

the  header,  if  you  please."      (Verbal  polite- 
ness was  his  great  forte. ) 

"Aye,  aye!"  answered  Robertin.  "Come 
along!" 

And  before  the  dismayed  and  routed 
Peacock  could  utter  a  word,  he  caught  him 
in  his  arms,  and  plunged  into  sixty  feet  of 
water  with  him.  Down  he  went  like  an 
otter ;  then,  rising  slowly,  swam  a  few  yards ; 
dived  again,  and  swam  under  water;  rose 
again  and  struck  out  for  the  shore,  where 
he  hoisted  the  Peacock — such  a  draggled, 
dismal  peacock! — choking  and  subdued,  to 
the  wharf,  shook  himself  into  a  Mclntosh 
Bob  had  rushed  after,  and  slid  into  the 
back-door  of  his  quarters  to  shift  into  dry 
clothes. 

But  as  he  went,  Babcock  sang  out,  fairly 
dancing  with  rage:  "How  dared  you,  sir! 
— how  dared  you!  " 

"  Dared  !  "  said  Eobertin  over  his  shoul- 
der,  in  mock  surprise;    "why,   you  didn't 
say  anything  about  not  wanting  to  go." 
15 


XII. 

Bur  things  were  not  always  harmonious; 
the  boys  had  their  ups  and  downs,  and 
blows  and  throws;  and  sometimes  tempers 
were  "  absent  without  leave,"  and  the  mis- 
chief was  to  pay  generally. 

Take  that  day  in  the  gymnasium,  when 
Peyton  was  holding  forth  to  a  lot  of  the  fel- 
lows on  the  necessity  of  "  lying  like  a  gen- 
tleman, when  honor  demanded."  A  group 
of  his  friends  and  followers  listened  in  re- 
spectful silence,  until  one  boy — a  simple, 
straightforward  Westerner — spoke  up: 

"  But,  Peyton,  can  a  man  be  a  gentleman 
and  a  man  of  honor  if  he  lies?  The  chap- 
lain said  last  Sunday— 

"Oh,  bother  the  chaplain!  He's  an  old 
duffer  anyway,  and  religion's  all— 

"Hallo,  you  fellows!  What's  up?"  ex- 
claimed Bob,  whirling  over  and  over  on  a 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  227 

trapeze,  and  landing  at  their  feet  in  a  cloud 
of  tan-dust. 

They  explained,  and  Bob  clapped  Claus- 
meyer  on  the  shoulder  with  a  "  Bight  you 
are,  my  boy!  And  the  chaplain's  head  is 
level." 

But  Peyton  said:  "You  don't  understand, 
Adair.  Suppose  a  man's  honor  is  at  stake — "5 

"Now,  see  here,  Jimmie"  (they  called 
him  Jimmie,  Bob  used  to  explain,  because 
his  name  was  Dacre),  "save  your  breath  to 
pray  for  your  soul,  old  man;  for  a  lie  is  a 
lie  any  way  you  fix  it;  and  the  Command- 
ments distinctly — " 

"Oh,  pshaw!  If  you  go  in  for  that  sort 
of  cant — " 

"Cant!"  exclaimed  Bob. 

"  Well,  then,  superannuated  superstition" 
(Peyton  was  fond  of  big  words),  "if  you 
like  that  better." 

"I  don't,"  said  Bob,  bluntly.  "And,, 
apart  from  the  question  of  religion  (ihafs 
the  word  for  it),  to  tell  the  truth  is  good, 
hard-pan  common  sense.  For  if  you  tell  a 


228  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

lie  you  not  only  have  a  nasty  blot  on  your 
conscience,  but  you  get  tripped  up  sooner  or 
later  every  time,  and  then  where  are  you?" 

"  Look  here,  Adair,  you'll  find  that  sort 
of  thing  won't  go  down  when  you  get  out 
in  the  world  of  men.  By  Jove," — showing 
his  white  teeth, — "wouldn't  it  be  a  nice 
mull  if  a  fellow  had  to  tell  the  truth — the 
whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth — 
every  time  ?  No,  no,  my  boy ;  too  inconven- 
ient!" 

"Not  as  inconvenient  as  losing  your 
soul." 

"Losing  your —  Bless  me,  you  don't 
believe  in  that?'" 

"  Well,  rather,"  said  Bob. 

"Why,  Adair,  you  are  centuries  behind 
the  times." 

"About  eighteen  —  yes,"  replied  Bob, 
dryly. 

"  Well,  that's  not  a  half  bad  answer,"  said 
Peyton,  somewhat  amused;  "and,  since 
your  chin  wags  so  freely,  just  tell  me  what's 
the  use  of  religion  anyway?  It  keeps  you 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  229 

out  of  pretty  much  everything,  especially 
making  money ;  and  the  '  mighty  dollar '  is 
a  big  factor,  you  know.  Religion  does  well 
enough  for  women  and  children,  but  for 
men — pshaw,  it  puts  a  bit  and  snaffle  on 
you  at  every  turn ;  and  J  believe  in  '  Eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry.'  ' 

"  '  For  to-morrow  we  die,'  "  finished  Bob. 
"And  then?" 

"  Then  the  deluge,"  said  Peyton,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders.  "  This  life  is  good 
enough  for  me.  What  do  you  think  about 
it,  Saito?  "  And  he  turned  to  the  little  Jap- 
anese, who  stood  listening,  his  black,  bead- 
like  eyes  twinkling  shrewdly. 

"  Short.  Hard.  Soon  old,  sick,  die.  Bet- 
ter to  have  something  afterward  to  pay  up." 

"Oh!"  said  Peyton,  "  are  you  going  to 
be  one  of  the  moral  preachers  and  teachers, 

* 

too?"      (He  was  fast  growing  angry.) 

"What's  that — preacher,  teacher?"  asked 

Saito. 

"  Why,  a  snuffling  young  saint,  like  Adair 

there," — with  an  unlovely  sneer. 


230  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  Adair  all  right,"  said  the  Jap.  "  You 
all  funny  fellows.  One  believe  one  thing, 
one  another,  next  man  something  else;  and 
all  talk,  talk, — talk  much,  get  mad.  Adair 
there,  and  him,  and  him,  and  him  "  (indi- 
cating with  his  forefinger  Robertin,  O'Don- 
ovan,  Blake,  and  two  or  three  Catholics), 
"  all  think  same,  say  same,  and  don't  get 
mad."  * 

When  Peyton  last  spoke,  a  hot  answer  had 
rushed  to  Bob's  lips,  but,  true  to  a  childish 
habit  he  still  retained,  he  bit  his  lip  and 
whispered  a  "  Hail  Mary."  Then  he  turned 
to  Peyton  and  quietly  said: 

"  Don't  talk  stuff,  Jimmie.  You  know 
and  I  know  that  I'm  not  much  of  a  hand  at 
an  argument.  But  there's  just  this  to  it:  if 
you'll  go  to  any  place,  among  any  people,  and 
find  a  lot  of  infidels  who  are  just  as  good, 
out  a"nd  out,  as  the  same  number  of  those 
who  believe  in  God  and  keep  His  Command- 
ments, why,  then  we  can  begin  to  talk  about 
it  on  an  even  tack." 

*  This  was  noted  and  commented  on  in  nearly  these 
words  by  an  amiable  Eastern  pagan  of  my  acquaintance. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  231 

"Well,"  said  Peyton, — he  was  really 
ashamed  of  his  outbreak, — "all  I  have  to 
say  is,  you'll  never  get  on  in  society  if  you 
stick  to  those  ultra  views.  Mark  my  words." 

"Did  Our  Lord  die  that  we  might  'get 
on  in  society'?"  Bobertin  asked,  in  his 
quietest  voice. 

"Bah!"  said  Peyton,  "there's  no  use 
talking  to  you.  You  are  such  a  confounded 
papist — 

"Hold  hard,  there,  Peyton!"  put  in  Bob; 
"  don't  call  names.  We  are  both  Catholics, 
and  proud  of  it."  And  he  squared  round 
to  Bobertin's  side. 

"  How  in  the  dickens  does  it  happen  that 
a  fellow  like  you  is  one?"  asked  Peyton, 
irritably.  "  I  thought  only  ignorant  chaps 
like—" 

He  stopped  abruptly,  but  his  look  at  Bob- 
ertin completed  the  sentence. 

"Like  me?"  said  the  latter,  tranquilly. 
"  No.  Bead  Father  Zahm's  lecture  on 
'What  the  Church  has  done  for  Science,' 
and  you'll  see  that  the  greatest  minds  of  the 
world  belong— 


232  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"Oh,  stow  it!"  interrupted  Peyton,  per- 
emptorily. 

"What?"  asked  Robertin,  with  an  omi- 
nous gleam  in  his  eyes,  and  nervously 
handling  the  Indian  club  he  had  been 
swinging. 

"Drop  it!"  exclaimed  Peyton  (meaning 
the  subject). 

"  Assuredly,"  said  Robertin.  And  he  let 
the  heavy  wood  fall  on  Peyton's  foot,  elicit- 
ing a  howl  from  that  young  gentleman. 

Wrong?  Of  course,  but  so  natural  that 
Bob  hardly  knew  how  to  comfort  Robertin' s 
passionate  regret. 

"O  Robert!  "  he  groaned,  as  they  walked 
up  to  their  room,  "it  is  just  such  begin- 
nings that  make  bad  endings,  with  tempers 
like  mine.  And,  then,  what  a  way  to  end  a 
talk  about  our  Faith!" 

Poor  Peyton!  A  few  months  later  some 
twenty  or  thirty  fellows  were  involved  in  a 
"whiskey-ring."  Two  bottles  were  smug- 
gled in,  a  gathering  held  after  hours,  the 
rules  broken;  and  when  the  officer-of-the- 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  233 

day  got  wind  of  it,  and  pounced  down  on 
the  crowd,  Peyton  was  recognized,  and,  in 
the  court  of  inquiry  that  followed,  was  sum- 
moned to  testify.  Instead  of  acknowledg- 
ing that  he  knew  who  the  ringleaders 
were,  but  felt  obliged  to  be  silent,  Dacre 
Peyton,  although  on  oath,  "  lied  like  a  gen- 
tleman "  at  the  demand  of  a  false  sense  of 
honor,  was  caught  in  the  lie,  and  dismissed. 
And  so  the  service  lost  a  junior  officer  who 
was  meant  by  God  and  nature  to  be  an 
ornament  to  it. 

Given:  Bad  moral  training,  lack  of  relig- 
ious teaching,  indifferent  home  example, 
and  perhaps  unfortunate  early  associations, 
and  what  a  deplorable  result!  A  career 
spoiled,  a  young  life  "  scratched "  at  the 
very  start  in  the  great  race,  a  blight  put 
upon  a  name,  and  a  fine  nature  debased  to 
the  poor  uses  of  the  world  and  the  flesh. 

Bob  was  deeply  distressed,  and  pondered 
seriously  on  a  sentence  in  one  of  Father 
Jerome's  letters: 

"  My  boy,  in  the  log-book  of  your  con- 


234  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

science,  enter  lying — that  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost — as  one  of  the  worst  of  the 
sunken  reefs  in  life's  sea.  Steer  clear  of  it; 
give  it  a  wide,  wide  berth." 


XIII. 

THE  second  class-year  ran  its  course  smooth- 
ly, the  only  break  being  the  "  Shavers' 
Rebellion,"  which,  however,  ended  peace- 
fully, evaporating  in  a  huge  laugh  before 
any  damage  was  done,  and  chiefly  through 
Bob's  instrumentality. 

The  commandant  had  a  perfect  passion 
for  uniformity  (one  Academy  wag  declared 
it  was  the  sorrow  of  his  life  that  he  couldn't 
regulate  the  sun  to  rise  and  set  at  the  same 
hour  Summer  and  Winter)  ;  and  one  after- 
noon, when  he  had  a  bad  attack  of  his 
mania,  he  happened  to  look  down  the  pa- 
rade-line at  the  moment  the  adjutant  was 
•reading  the  orders  of  the  day.  The  result 
was  a  sudden  conclusion  that  the  appearance 
of  the  corps  was  ruined  by  the  diversity 
of  full  beard,  no  beard,  "  straggles,"  mus- 
taches, imperials,  and  "mutton-chops"  that 
235 


236  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

adorned  the  faces  of  the  members ;  and  next 
morning  an  order  was  issued  that  on  and 
after  the  10th  inst.  the  cadet-midshipmen 
should  appear  clean-shaven. 

Well,  there  certainly  was  a  row!  Chins 
wagged  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a  minute,  and 
you  couldn't  hear  yourself  think  for  the 
racket.  Everybody  talked  at  once,  and  you 
would  have  thought  that  at  least  liberty 
and  life  were  at  stake. 

The  first  classmen  felt  it  most  keenly; 
and  Paxton,  whose  tawny  mustache  was  the 
joy  of  his  life,  asked,  in  bitterness  of  spirit: 
"  What  are  we  going  to  do  about  it  ?  We've 
wasted  enough  breath  to  sail  a  frigate. 
Let's  belay  now,  and  act." 

"I  move  for  a  deputation,"  said  Hilton, 
whose  father  was  a  Congressman,  and  who 
doted  on  committees,  motions,  and  parlia- 
mentary phrases;  and  who  couldn't  "go"  to 
save  his  life,  but  must  always  "  adjourn." 

"Well,  what  then?" 

"  Go  to  the  old  man  and  ask  him  to  recon- 
sider— " 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  237 

"  Haw!  "  snorted  Ben  ton,  a  gigantic  Ken- 
tuckian,  bearded  like  a  pard;  "I'd  like  to 
hear  you  suggesting  such  a  thing  to  him! " 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it, 
Blue  Grass?"  they  asked,  eagerly;  for  he 
would  be  the  heaviest  sufferer. 

"  Shave.     And  so  are  you!  " — laconically. 

"No,  sir!"  said  the  Peacock,  who  came 
up  just  then.  (He  had  been  turned  back  a 
year  for  "hazing,"  and  was  still  in  the 
Academy.)  "No,  sir.  I  do  not  consider 
that  any  man  has  a  right  to  order  my  per- 
sonal appearance.  Let  him  regulate  my 
comings  and  goings — yes,  sir;  but  when  it 
comes  to  my  beard — " 

"  Hear!  hear!  "  cried  the  others. 

"  Tour  what?  "  asked  Bob,  ranging  along- 
side, with  twinkling  eyes;  for  he  had  long 
felt  lie  owed  the  Peacock  one  for  the  trick 
he  had  played  on  Robertin,  and  here  was 
his  chance. 

"  My  beard,  I  said,  Mr.  Ah — Adair," — in 
a  very-slightly-acquainted  tone. 

" My  conscience !"  exclaimed  Bob,   "you 


238  MIDSHIPMAN  SOB. 

don't  call  that  a  beard!"  pointing  to  the 
straggling  down  on  his  cheek.  "  Well,  that 
certainly  is  giving  an  '  'airy  nothing  a  local 
habitation  and  a  name.' ' 

The  shot  told,  and  a  howl  went  up  that 
broke  the  Rebellion's  back;  for,  although 
there  was  much  growling  and  more  heartfelt 
regret,  the  "'airy  nothing"  was  too  much. 

The  first  class-year  followed  swiftly,  and 
then,  as  Bob  said,  it  was  "  pull  for  the 
shore  sure  enough";  for  the  standard  had 
been  raised,  the  recitations  lengthened,  and 
a  set  of  enthusiasts  put  at  the  heads  of  the 
various  departments;  but  he  threw  himself 
heart  and  soul  into  the  tussle,  working  his 
way  up  steadily  among  the  "  stars,"  *  and 
having  three  stripes  and  a  double  diamond 
to  show  for  his  pains.  Robertin  followed 
in  his  wake;  and  although  he  did  not  win 

*  The  first  five  men  in  the  class.  The  "  Adjutant" 
of  the  corps  is  the  one  who  stands  No.  1  in  everything, 
and  one  of  the  insignia  of  his  rank  is  the  cluster  of  four 
stripes  of  gold  lace  on  the  sleeves  of  his  uniform.  The 
"three-stripers"  come  next,  the  two-stripers  next,  and 
then  the  one-stripers,  and  the  "double"  and  "single 
diamond "  men, — all  of  whom  are  chosen  for  some 
specially  officer-like  qualification,  and  whose  commands 
range  from  a  company  to  a  gun's  crew. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  •  239 

a  star-ship,  he  too  carried  his  gold  lace  and 
had  his  command,  and  he  and  Bob  were 
known  as  the  hardest  readers  in  their 
"  crowd." 

When  the  second  term  began,  their  diffi- 
culties increased;  for  Gunnery  and  Astron- 
omy got  them  in  their  terrible  grip,  and 
"ground  them  exceeding  fine."  After  the 
first  week  Bob  declared  he  felt  "  like  Mr. 
Dolls,  the  one  that  '  'ad  the  'errors,'  you 
know.  For  these  chaps  "—slapping  his 
Mackinlay,  Briger,  and  Sarraud — "  are  the 
toughest  lot  I  ever  struck.  I'll  warrant 
'em  to  kill  at  sixty  paces  any  day." 

To  which  Steady  responded  by  a  dismal 
shake  of  the  head,  and  expressed  his  belief 
that  they  weren't  "  a  patch  on  White,  Chau- 
vet,  and  Bowditch;  while  for  this" — his 
great  palm  on  American  Ephemeris  and 
Nautical  Almanac — "  I  have  no  words." 

And  it  was  about  this  time  that  the  great 
trial  of  Bob's  life  began  to  germinate, — a 
trial  that  wrenched  his  nature  to  its  founda- 
tions, and  tore  to  shreds  Robertin's  calm- 


240  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

ness,  threatening  with  destruction  the  result 
of  years  of  earnest  effort  and  religious 
training. 

There  was  a  fellow  in  the  class  named 
Amherst, — a  young  man  of  plausible  address 
and  pleasant  manners,  and  who  was  far 
from  ill-favored;  but  his  gray  eyes  had  a 
trick  of  flickering  and  slipping  away  from 
a  direct  gaze,  and  he  was  almost  too  anxious 
to  agree  with  every  statement  advanced  by 
those  with  whom  he  talked.  He  was  inti- 
mate with  a  rather  turbulent  set  of  fellows, 
but  always  spoke  so  regretfully  of  their  fast 
ways,  and  urged  their  fine  traits  with  such 
apparent  good-feeling,  that  he  got  the  gen- 
eral reputation  of  letting  his  heart  run  away 
with  his  head,  and  of  sticking  to  his  friends 
to  his  own  disadvantage.  There  were  some, 
however,  who  declared  he  was  "  as  deep  in 
the  mud  as  they  in  the  mire,"  and  called 
him  a  sneak,  and  various  other  names  more 
forcible  than  polite. 

He  was  rather  an  odd  "lot,"  too — very 
nervous  at  recitations,  especially  Gunnery, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  241 

and  liis  antics  both  amused  and  annoyed  his 
classmates.  Robertin's  attention  was  early 
attracted  to  this  peculiarity,  as  the  fellow 
sat,  first  running  his  fore  finger  round  the 
inside  of  his  collar,  then  pulling  at  his  cuffs, 
then  twisting  a  scrap  of  paper  in  his  hands. 

The  first  time  he  did  this  last-  the  in- 
structor called  to  him  sharply:  "Mr.  Am- 
herst,  you  will  please  hand  me  that  paper." 

He  started,  but  walked  forward  promptly 
with  it.  The  officer  took  it,  examined  it, 
and  glanced  keenly  at  Amherst,  as  he  stood 
before  him  with  downcast  eyes. 

"  Return  to  your  seat,  sir,"  he  said,  with 
a  baffled  look;  and  Amherst  bowed  and 
walked  off,  but  not  before  Robertin  caught 
a  malicious  gleam  in  his  eyes,  and  a  fleeting 
smile  on  his  thin  lips,  that  set  him  wonder- 
ing. However,  he  rebuked  himself  sharply 
as  uncharitable,  and  wrongly  suspicious ;  for, 
of  all  academic  vices,  "gouging"*  is  the 
most  despised  and  most  severely  punished. 

*  "Cribbing," — writing  "gags"  on  cuffs,  handker 
chief,  or  slips  of  paper,  to  aid  in  recitation. 

16 


242  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

But  the  seed  was  sown,  and  Robertin  caught 
himself  watching  the  fellow  again  and 
again. 

The  "nervous  habit,"  as  Amherst  called 
it  whenever  spoken  to  about  it,  was  gener- 
ally disapproved  of,  and  he  seemed  to 
make  a  genuine  effort  to  overcome  it,  suc- 
ceeding at  times;  but  Robertin  noticed 
that  when  he  was  most  nervous  he  made 
the  best  recitations,  and,  in  spite  of  himself, 
he  had  strange  thoughts. 

Another  thing.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
year  Bob  got  permission  for  special  study, 
so  as  to  prepare  himself  better  for  the  ex- 
amination in  this  branch ;  and  many  a  night 
he  and  Robertin  heard  the  morning  rung  in 
by  the  ship's  bells  to  the  tune  of  "All's 
well " ;  but  Amherst,  although  not  a  clever 
fellow,  still  kept  pace  with  Bob,  and  this 
without  extra  effort  or  extra  study. 

The  instructor  noticed  his  excellence  in 
this  department,  and  one  day,  when  the 
young  fellow  was  in  a  specially  restless 
state,  all  his  "  habits  "  in  full  swing  at  once, 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  243 

the  former  called  out  kindly:  "Take  it 
easy,  Mr.  Amherst;  take  it  easy;  you  are 
doing  very  well,  sir." 

And  after  recitation,  when  Bob  waited  to 
ask  some  question  about  an  apparent  dis- 
crepancy in  one  of  the  velocity  tables,  Lieut. 
Ingersoll  said: 

"  That  fellow's  no  dab  at  Gunnery.  It's 
a  pity  he  can't  have  a  stripe  or  two.  No 
chance  though,  I  suppose,  with  such  a  set 
of  fellows  holding  the  lines." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Bob,  heartily,  "  he 
does  get  on  first-rate.  I  only  wish  I  could 
do  it  as  easily.  Why,  Mr.  Ingersoll,  I 
declare  sometimes  I  get  in  a  regular  blue 
funk  when  I  think  of  the  examination." 

"Nonsense,  Mr.  Adair!"  laughed  the 
young  officer.  But  he  remembered  it,  un- 
fortunately. 

Well,  the  time  came,  and  the  fellows 
worked  at  their  Gunnery  papers  .all  day. 
Bob  wrote  page  after  page,  and  Amherst, 
who  sat  next  him,  did  the  same,  wriggling 
and  twisting  meantime  as  if  he  had  St. 


244  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Vitus's  dance.  Finally,  Bob,  having  rubbed 
his  crisp  curls  seven  ways  for  Sunday,  and 
told  all  he  knew,  closed  his  desk,  folded 
his  paper,  handed  it  in,  and  went  off  for  a 
turn  in  the  air,  for  his  head  was  splitting. 

As  he  walked  up  and  down,  Haweis,  one 
of  his  classmates,  came  up  and  said:  "  Adair, 
Mr.  Ingersoll  says  you've  dropped  a  page 
out  of  your  paper." 

"Have  I?"  asked  Bob.  "I  must  have 
stuffed  it  into  my  desk  with  the  scraps." 

"All  right;  I'll  get  it  for  you,"  said  Ha- 
weis, good-naturedly.  "  You  look  pretty  well 
used  up,  and  it's  as  hot  as  Tophet  in  there." 

"Thanks!"  replied  Bob.  "You're  a 
brick,  Tommy." 

And  that  night  "Tommy"  poked  his 
head  in  Bob's  room,  and  said:  "I  didn't 
know  which  it  was,  and  grabbed  up  the  lot." 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Ingersoll  came  to 
Bob  with  a  very  grave  face. 

"Mr.  Adair,  I  found  this  among  the  pa- 
pers Mr.  Haweis  handed  me  by  your  re- 
quest" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  245 

"How  did  it  get  there,  sir?"  asked  Bob, 
in  surprise ;  for  it  was  a  long  list  of  answers, 
copied  figure  for  figure  from  the  text-books, 
and  covering  the  hardest  part  of  the  exam- 
ination. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Ingersoll  sorrow- 
fully; "and  I'd  rather  have  cut  off  my  fin- 
gers  than  to  have  found  it;  for  I  shall  have 
to  report  it." 

"  Why,  you  don't  think — you  don't  be- 
lieve—  "  stammered  Bob,  his  face  flushing 
scarlet,  and  then  turning  deadly  white,  as 
the  significance  of  it  all  dawned  upon  him, 
— "you  couldn't  think,  Mr.  Ingersoll,  that- 
I  did  it,  or  used  it?" 

"  Personally,  I  couldn't  and  wouldn't, 
Adair.  But  here's  the  paper;  and  as  it  has> 
fallen  into  my  hands,  I  simply  have  to  do 
my  duty." 

Bob  stood  stupefied.  Before  him  rushed 
his  boyish  aspirations,  his  joyous  youth,  his 
pride  in  his  first  uniform,  his  happy,  honor- 
able Academy  days,  his  future,  his  hopes, 
his  mother;  and  now  this  disgraceful  sus- 


246  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

picion,  with  the  blighting,  crushing  pen- 
alty !  His  heart  sent  up  a  bitter  cry  to  God 
and  Our  Lady,  while  a  hollow  groan  burst 
from  his  laboring  breast. 

Lieut.  Ingersoll  was  speaking.  "  Until 
the  real  criminal  is  found,  you  stand  ac- 
cused, you  know." 

"  I  swear,  sir — 

"  Adair,"  said  the  young  officer,  stepping 
nearer,  and  lowering  his  voice,  "don't 
waste  your  time  on  me.  I  believe  you.  But 
find  out  who  did  it,  and  bring  him  to  taw. 
I'll  hold  this  up  for  two  days;  meantime 
do  your  best." 

Bob  reeled  away  to  his  room,  half  uncon- 
scious, and  showed  such  a  ghastly  face  to 
Robertin  that  he  started  to  his  feet  in  dis- 
may. " Robert !"  he  cried,  "what  is  it?" 
And  poor  Bob,  leaning  on  that  faithful 
friend,  told  him. 

Eobertin's  eyes  flashed  fire,  and  a  mighty 
rage  kindled  in  his  breast.  He  said  noth- 
ing, but  the  chair-back  on  which  his  great 
hand  closed  tighter  and  tighter  suddenly 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  247 

split  with  the  force  of  his  grip,  and  fell 
clattering  to  the  floor. 

"Who  sat  near  you?"  he  asked,  and  his 
voice  had  a  muffled  sound. 

"Brintiiall,  Clausmeyer,  Burton,  Wright, 
Clinton,  Amherst — " 

"Ha!"  said  Bobertin,  with  a  snarl  so 
savage  that  Bob  looked  up  in  surprise;  "it's 
he,  the  coyote! " 

"  How  do  you  know,  Steady?" 

"I  don't  know  yet;  but  I  have  a  clew. 
And  I'll  track  him;  I'll  hunt  him  down 
till  I  tear  it  from  his  foul  heart  with  my 
bare  hands.  I'll—" 

The  Angelas  cleft  the  air.  Bobertin 
started,  and  fell  upon  his  knees.  In  a  few 
moments  he  arose,  and,  by  an  effort  that 
left  him  pale,  he  regained  control  of  him- 
self. 

"  It  came  just  in  time,  Bobert — Our 
Lady's  summons.  If  I  have  done  him  an 
injustice,  God  forgive  me;  if  I  have  not, 
then  God  forgive  him  and  help  me;  for  I 
can't  answer  for  myself,"  he  muttered. 


248  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Then  he  added,  in  a  louder  tone  :  "  Tell  me 
everything — all  you  know  about  it." 

And  Bob  began  again,  and  answered 
every  question,  but  in  a  stunned  sort  of  a 
way,  patiently  going  over  each  point. 
"  That's  all,  and  we  must  be  as  close  as  wax 
about  it;  for  I  begin  to  feel  suspicion  stir- 
ring in  my  heart,  and  '  anger,  hatred,  and 
ill -will.'  A  nice  trio,  Steady  !  And  if  by 
chance  I  should  say  anything  to  hurt  a  fel- 
low as  I'm  hurt,  I'd  be  too  mean  to  ever 
hold  up  my  head  again." 

"Come,"  said  Bobertin;  "there's  the  call 
for  dinner." 

"O  Steady,  I  couldn't  eat  a  mouthful!" 

"Brace  up,  gars!     You  are  innocent — 

"  So  help  me  God  and  our  Lady ! " 

"They  will  too!" 

"I  believe  that.  And  I  say,  old  man, 
let's  get  out  to  church  this  afternoon;  for 
I've  got  to  think  it  over  quietly,  and  that's 
the  best  place." 

Bobertin  nodded,  and  they  went  to  the 
mess  hall,  where  they  were  greeted  by  a 
volley  of  chaff,  inquiry  and  comment. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  249 

"Bust  on  Exam.,  Adair,"  shouted  one; 
and  the  joke  was  so  exquisite  to  his  "  gang  " 
that  they  laughed  uproariously.  For  they 
always  backed  Bob  "  as  the  horse  that  would 
win."  Robertin  checked  it  somewhat  by 
saying  Bob  had  had  bad  news;  while  he, 
poor  fellow,  answered  as  best  he  could. 

Was  it  imagination  that  made  Bob  feel 
that  Amherst  was  watching  him  furtively, 
and  that  two  or  three  others  were  whisper- 
ing together? 

"Lord  help  me!"  he  thought;  "If  I  get 
that  canker  into  my  mind,  it  will  be  as  bad 
as  the  trouble  I'm  in." 


XIV. 

TRUE  to  his  -word,  Robertin  tracked  and 
followed  up  Amherst,  until  the  latter  grew 
almost  distracted,  but  dared  not  make  a 
sign.  He  gleaned  nothing,  however,  until 
the  morning  of  the  third  day,  when  he 
overheard  Amherst  telling  a  party  of  his 
chums  that  he  thought  Adair  was  "  in  for  a 
mess,"  and  he  expected  some  stripes  would 
be  floating  around  without  an  owner  before 
very  long. 

"You  don't  say!  "  they  exclaimed,  eager- 
ly. "Isn't  that  'one  for  your  heels,'  eh?" 

Amherst  laughed  consciously.  Then  a 
chorus  arose  :  "I  thought  he  was  too  good 
to  last!"  "I  thought  he  looked  awfully 
down  on  his  luck!"  "What's  the  row, 
Pollie?" 

"  '  Gouging,'  I  believe." 

"Who  said  so?"  asked  a  grave,  ominous 
250 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  251 

voice,  and  Robertin  stood  before  him.  Am- 
lierst  struggled  hard  for  his  self-possession; 
for  he  felt  he  had  betrayed  himself. 

"Why,  isn't  it  that,  Bruin?  You  ought 
to  know.  I  hope  I've  mistaken,"  he  added; 
"  for  Adair's  a  good  fellow." 

"  No,  it  isn't  that,  and  you  know  it,"  said 
Robertin,  marching  off,  white  with  rage  ; 
for  he  was  on  his  way  to  recitation,  and 
could  not  stop. 

"What  does  the  beggar  mean  by  that?" 
asked  one  of  the  crowd. 

"  Indeed  you  chaps  will  have  to  find  out," 
said  Amherst,  yawning  and  turning  away. 
"I  have  other  fish  to  fry  than  guessing 
Kanuck's  riddles— low  brute  ! "  he  added, 
viciously,  between  his  teeth. 

"But  I  say,  Pollie,  you  haven't  settled 
about  to-morrow's  chimney-picnic." 

"That's  so!  Well,  I'll  tell  you.  It's 
pretty  near  Grad.,  and  some  of  us  don't 
want  any  more  demerits  than  we've  got  on 
hand,  eh?  (A  broad  grin  ran  around  the 
circle.)  "  The  commandant's  an  old  lunatic 


252  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

about  discipline,  and  one  sniff  of  tobacco 
smoke  gives  him  the  rabies.  So,  I  say,  after 
dinner  let's  take  a  boat  and  sail  out  a  way, 
smoke  our  pipes  and  cigars,  and  there  you 
are,  with  nobody  the  wiser!  " 

"  Good  for  you!  "  "  Great  head!  "  "  Smart 
boy!"  and  other  compliments  greeted  his 
plan ;  and  off  sauntered  Amherst  to  get  his 
books,  for  his  section  was  to  be  called  in  a 
few  minutes. 

As  he  turned  into  his  room  after  recita- 
tion he  met  Robertin. 

"Stand!"  said  the  latter,  imperiously. 
"  Have  you  no  honor,  that  you  gave  tongue 
to  such  a  lie  to-day  ?  How  dare  you  say 
such  things  of  Adair — Adair,  whose  shoes 
you  are  not  fit  to  brash — 

"Well,  really!"  replied  Amherst,  with  a 
sneer,  ' '  I  was  not  aware  I  had  applied  for 
the  post  of  boot-black  to  Adair." 

"  Tiens! "  said  Robertin,  gripping  the 
shoulder  near  him  with  a  force  that  left  it 
black  for  many  a  day.  "  No  sneers,  Am- 
herst, but  truth,  if  you  are  a  man.  Why 
did  you  put  that  paper  in  Robert's  desk  ?  " 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  253 

A  quick,  flickering  light  played  in  the 
gray  eyes  for  a  moment,  then  he  pulled 
himself  together,  and  with  some  dignity 
said: 

"  That's  a  serious  charge  to  make,  Bruin 
Major.  "What  proof  have  you?" 

"  No  proof  yet,  but  I  will  have  it  soon. 
Your  nervous  habits  have  been  found  out " 
— his  keen  eyes  burnt  into  Amherst's  quak- 
ing heart; — "  they  were  just  a  trick  to  get 
at  your  'gouges.' ' 

Amherst  grew  ghastly  white,  but,  turn- 
ing his  back  sharply  to  the  light,  he  said: 
"  Robertin,  I  make  great  allowance  for  the 
worry  you  are  in  about  Adair,  but  there  are 
certain  things  I  can  not  allow  you  or  any 
man  to  say  to  me.  I  don't  think  anyone 
would  agree  with  you  that  I  needed  '  gouges ' 
in  Gunnery.  Perhaps 'r — his  smooth  voice 
breaking  into  malice — "  Adair  says  that,  to 
shield  himself." 

"  Say  that  again,"  shouted  Kobertin, 
"and  I'll  break  every  bone  in  your  body!" 
And  he  bore  down  on  him  like  an  avalanche. 


254  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

Amherst  saw  the  officer  of  the  day  coming, 
so  did  not  give  way  to  the  fear  that  con- 
tracted his  heart-strings. 

"  Mr.  Eobertin,  Mr.  Amherst  !  Out  of 
your  rooms,  and  brawling  in  this  unseemly 
manner!"  And  he  wondered  to  himself, 
"What's  got  into  Hercules?  His  face  is 
distorted  out  of  shape,  and  his  eyes  shoot 
chain-lightning. ' ' 

"Who  began  this?"  he  asked,  sharply. 

Amherst  hesitated,  as  if  he  were  unwill- 
ing to  get  Bobertin  into  a  scrape,  but  while 
he  did  so  the  latter  spoke. 

"  I,  sir." 

"I'm  sorry  to  hear  it,  Mr.  Bobertin," 
said  the  officer, — a  kind-hearted,  clever  fel- 
low— "  for  it's  this  sort  of  thing  that  loses 
stripes  and  double  diamonds." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  answered  Bober- 
tin. "  Do  you  suppose,  Monsieur,  I  want  to 
wear  them" — plucking  passionately  at  the 
gold  lace — "  if  Bobert's  sleeves  go  empty?  " 

"Oh,  come  now!"  said  Lieutenant  Kin- 
caid,  good-naturedly — Amherst  had  passed 
on — "isn't  that  going  it  a  trifle  too  steep?" 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  255 

"  No,  Monsieur.  Where  Robert  goes  I  go. 
He's  more  to  me  than  anything.  I'd  rather 
follow  him  into  a  fokesel,  than  walk  a 
quarter-deck  without  him," — all  this  in 
quick  blurts. 

Just  then  a  marine  came  up  with  a  tele- 
gram, and,  as  Eobertin  saluted  and  moved 
off,  Kincaid  read  it,  and  a  smile  broke  over 
his  face  as  he  said:  "  That  lets  me  out  of 
reporting  him.  I'm  afraid  it  won't  be  quite 
ship-shape  "  (and  it  certainly  was  not),  "  but 
I'll  risk  it ;  for  the  poor  old  chap  is  evidently 
off  his  head,  and  it's  actually  his  first  of- 
fence. Besides,  that  Amherst  is  a  sly  lot, 
and  I  bet  he  egged  the  Kanuck  on." 

The  'gram  read  :  "  Detached.  Proceed 
at  once  to  join  Omaha,  New  York."  And 
as  it  was  dated  9.30,  the  officer  argued  he 
was  not  really  on  duty  when  the  fracas  oc- 
curred. 

The  next  morning  found  the  mystery  still 
unsolved.  Bob  had  been  notified  that  on 
graduation  day  his  diploma  would  be  with- 
held, and  his  dismissal  would  follow  in  due 


256  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

order.  Sick  at  heart,  broken  down  by 
sleepless  nights,  worn  with  sorrow,  the  poor 
fellow  was  like  a  grave,  still  ghost  of  his 
former  self.  And  Robertin  was  little  better ; 
but  the  bitter  storm  that  had  raged  in  the 
heart  of  the  latter  had  been  stilled  that 
morning  by  a  visit  they  had  paid  to  Father 
Grotius,  and  by  receiving  Holy  Communion 
at  the  early  Mass,  and  only  a  deep  sorrow 
reigned  in  its  stead.  He  followed  Bob's 
every  movement  with  wistful,  loving  eyes, 
and  after  dinner  said:  "Robert,  let  us  sail 
a  while." 

"Well,"  said  Bob,  listlessly,  "as  you 
will,  old  man." 

And  they  got  into  a  cat-boat,  and  drifted 
off  before  the  rose-scented  wind. 

Shortly  following,  came  the  "chimney- 
picnic  " — the  smoking  party.  They  were  in 
a  "bug-eye,"  with  all  sail  spread,  and  were 
enjoying  their  forbidden  pleasure  keenly. 
They  had  eaten  heartily,  and  smoked  abun- 
dantly, and  one  by  one  they  fell  asleep,  un- 
til only  Amherst  was  left  awake.  The  air 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  257 

was  soft,  the  sun  warm,  and  the  lap  of  the 
waves  drowsy,  and  in  a  little  while  he  too 
nodded.  He  started  awake  two  or  three 
times,  then  finally  headed  the  boat  bayward, 
lashed  the  tiller  in  place,  and  dropped  off 
too. 

Crouching  on  the  horizon  was  a  black 
cloud,  with  wind  in  its  heart  and  lightning 
on  its  crest;  but  the  boat,  full  of  sleeping 
youths,  swept  toward  it  with  bellying  sail, 
and  heeling  farther  and  farther  to  leeward. 
Suddenly  the  storm  leaped  on  them,  and 
over  she  went  like  a  shot. 

Roused  from  their  sleep  to  find  them- 
selves struggling  in  the  water,  hampered  by 
their  clothing,  the  tempest  bursting  over 
their  heads  in  a  fury  of  rain  and  a  glare  of 
lightning,  and  the  bay  gone  mad  with  the 
wind,  they  gave  themselves  up  for  lost,  and 
clung  to  the  boat's,  keel,  face  to  face  with 
Death  and  Conscience — and  a  mighty  ugly 
pair  some  of  the  crowd  found  them. 

Meantime  Bob  and  Robertin  had  spied 
them,  and,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  put 
17 


258  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

about,  spread  a  scrap  of  sail,  and  raced  down 
to  their  rescue.  As  they  ueared  the  cap- 
sized craft,  Amherst  was  torn  from  the  keel, 
and  swept  off,  with  a  white,  agonized  face, 
and  wildly  grasping  hands. 

"Keep  her  steady!"  shouted  Robertin, 
who  had  kicked  off  his  shoes,  and  jerked 
out  of  his  jacket  and  vest;  and  over  he 
went,  grasping  the  hair  of  the  drowning 
man  as  he  sank.  For,  although  Amherst 
could  swim,  he  seemed  paralyzed  with 
fright. 

Meantime  Bob  shot  alongside,  and,  be- 
hold! the  squall  was  over  and  the  sun  was 
out;  the  tossing  water  and  struggling  fig- 
ures being  the  only  trace  of  the  outburst. 
He  got  the  fellows  inboard,  and  tacked  for 
Steady,  who  was  leisurely  swimming  along, 
towing  his  "catch." 

As  they  drew  near,  Robertin  sang  out: 
"Here,  you  fellows,  listen!"  Then  to  Am- 
herst: "Did  you  put^that  'gouge'  in  Rob- 
ert's desk?" 

And  he  said:  "Yes." 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  259 

Imagine  the  surprise!  But  Bob,  in  an 
agony  of  mingled  relief  and  sympathy  for 
the  poor  coward,  whose  lie  had  found  him 
out,  begged  the  fellows  to  hold  their 
tougues,  and  turn  to  at  the  bug-eye,  which 
they  righted,  baled  out,  cleared  of  the  sail 
and  masts,  and  had  in  tow  when  the  picket 
launch  from  the  Academy  bore  down  upon 
them.  The  lookout  on  the  Santee  had  seen 
the  "spill,"  and  reported  it;  so  the  tired 
"  M  ids  "  went  back  in  fine  style.  As  they 
neared  the  wharf,  Bobertiu  turned  to  the 
two  senior  members  of  Amherst's  crowd, 
and  said: 

"You  will  meet  me  at  the  commandant's 
as  soon  as  you  shift  into  dry  clothes,  if  you 
please." 

And  they  nodded  prompt  and  subdued 
acquiescence. 

On  the  way  to  their  room  Robertin,  with 
his  arm  over  Bob's  shoulder,  said:  "That's 
settled,  grars." 

"Thank  God!"  replied  Bob.  "But,  O 
Steady!  I'm  so  sorry  for  Amherst!" 


260  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  Bah!  the  base —  But  we  will  not  speak 
of  him." 

"How  did  he  happen  to  tell  you?"  asked 
Bob. 

Robertin  looked  a  little  confused.  "He 
didn't  '  happen  '  at  all.  I  told  him  I'd  let 
him  drown  then  and  there  if  he  didn't  tell 
the  truth,  and  he  told  it." 

"Steady!"  said  Bob,  half  imploringly, 
half  amused. 

"No,  of  course  I  wouldn't,  gars,  but  it 
was  neck  or  nothing." 

As  he  started  out,  Bob  put  his  hand 
through  his  arm,  caught  step  and  went  too. 

"That's  right!  You  ought  to  have  the 
first  of  the  apology." 

"  It  isn't  that,"  said  Bob,  "  but  I've  got 
something  I  want  to  say." 

"  All  right." 

The  four  young  men  rose  as  the  com- 
mandant entered  his  library,  and  as  he 
looked  from  one  to  the  other,  his  heavy  eye- 
brows settled  down  into  a  thatch  over  his 


eyes. 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  261 

"You  wished  to  see  me,  sir?"  he  said 
curtly  to  Robertin.  And  the  latter,  "the 
string  of  his  tongue  loosed,"  for  Bob's  sake, 
told  his  story,  which  was  amply  confirmed 
by  Bascom  and  Carsdale. 

The  "  old  man's "  face  was  a  study,  but 
he  said  very  little,  beyond  assuring  them 
that  justice  should  be  done  in  every  partic- 
ular, repeating'  and  emphasizing  the  last 
three  words  in  a  way  that  smacked  of  courts- 
martial,  short  shrift,  and  brisk  execution. 

Then  he  shook  Bob  heartily  by  the  hand, 
and  said:  "I  am  glad,  sir,  you  are  cleared; 
for  there  are  very  few  young  men  that 
could  be  so  illy  spared  from  the  service." 

Bob  asked  for  a  few  words  in  private,  and 
as  soon  as  they  were  alone  went  to  his 
point:  "I  want  to  ask,  please  sir,  if  it  is 
possible  to  let  Amherst  off." 

"  Impossible.  His  dismissal  will  be  made 
out  at  once." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  it  won't  have  to  be  read 
out  on  the  parade-grounds,  before  every- 
one?" 


262  MIDSHIPMAN  BOD. 

"  It  ought  to  be." 

"Perhaps,  sir,  from  an  official  standpoint; 
but,  good  God,  just  think  of  the  agony  of 
it — the  horror  of  it!  You  see,"  he  added, 
with  quivering  lips,  "I've  lived  it  over 
pretty  constantly,  and  I  wouldn't  want  any- 
body to  suffer  as  I  have  done." 

"Oh!  you  wouldn't,  eh?"  said  the  com- 
mandant. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Bob;  "and,  besides,  I 
think  it  would  blast  Amherst's  whole  life. 
He's  very  sensitive  to  blame,  and  if  he  got 
started  wrong  there's  no  knowing  where  he 
would  fetch  up." 

"  Well,  really,  Mr.  Adair,  this  is  rather 
an  extraordinary  performance  on  your 
part."  . 

"Indeed,  sir,"  said  Bob,  "it  isn't  just 
interfering." 

"Didn't  say  it  was,"  growled  the  com- 
mandant, sotto  voce. 

"You  see,  when  I  thought  I  was  going, 
I  wrote  to  an  old  sea-captain  I  know,  who  is 
bound  for  the  East  Indies,  and  asked  him 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  263 

if  there  was  any  show  in  the  merchant  ser- 
vice; for  I  meant  to  apply  to  sail  with  him. 
I  couldn't  have  faced — "  Here  his  voice 
faltered,  but  he  went  on  after  a  moment. 
"  I  got  a  letter  from  him  this  morning,  say- 
ing his  second  mate  was  down  with  yellow 
fever,  and  if  I  knew  anybody  that  could 
tackle  the  berth,  to  send  him  along.  Now, 
sir,  Amherst's  a  good  seaman,  and  maybe  if 
you'd  see  him,  and  tell  him  of  the  opening, 
let  him  resign,  and  get  right  away — " 

"  Why  don't  you  see  him  yourself  ? " 
asked  the  officer,  surveying  Bob  curiously. 

"  Well,  sir,  he  mightn't  want  to  see  me, 
and  mightn't  want  to  take  the  place  if  I 
gave  it.  Fellows  get  queer  and  streaky 
sometimes,  you  know.  Then,  too,  he  might 
think  I  wanted  to  be  lathery,  and — and  all 
that." 

"  Mr.  Adair,  let  me  understand  exactly. 
You  want  the  fellow  that  came  within  an 
ace  of  ruining  your  career  to  get  off  scot- 
free,  and  go  into  a  comfortable  and  profita- 
ble berth  that  you  provide  for  him  ?  " 


264  MIDSHIPMAN  BOB. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Bob. 

"Isn't  it  rather  a  premium  on  villainy, 
and  that  sort  of  thing  ?  " 

"No,  sir,"  answered  Bob;  "something  a 
good  deal  simpler  than  that — putting  my- 
self in  his  place." 

"Very  well;  I'll  think  of  it." 

And  I'll  say  here  that  when  Amherst 
heard  the  plan,  and  learned  who  was  trying 
to  save  him,  he  broke  down,  and  cried  a 
few  honest,  wholesome  tears,  and  swore  a 
vow  to  come  up  to  Bob's  expectations.  And 
he  did,  making  a  good  sailor  and  a  faithful 
officer,  until  he  was  swept  off  the  bridge  of 
The  Begum  in  a  typhoon,  and  found  a  grave 
in  Chinese  waters. 


Bob  graduated  with  6clat,  and  Robertin 
with  credit;  and  if  you  go  down  to  the 
Academy,  you  will  find  a  neat  brick  house, 
just  outside  the  gate,  in  which  Bob  lives, 
with  his  pretty,  young  wife,  and  his  sturdy 


MIDSHIPMAN  BOB.  265 

baby  boy ;  for  he  is  now  a  lieutenant  and  an 
instructor. 

And  every  fortnight  he  and  Steady  can 
be  met  pacing  the  walks,  shoulder  to  shoul- 
der, or  can  be  seen  sitting  contentedly  to- 
gether in  Bob's  home  ;  for,  although  sta- 
tioned in  New  .York,  aboard  the  St.  Mary's, 
Eobertin  runs  down  twice  a  month  to  see 
ce  gars-let,  who  is  still  the  dearest  thing  the 
world  holds  for  him. 


THE    END. 


Mrs.  Anna  H.  Dorsey's 
STORIES. 


9  Volumes,  12010.  Bright,  Uniform 
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Palms,  Heiress  of  Carrigmona, 

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Adrift,  Fate  of  the  Dane, 

' Beth' s  Promise,  Mad  Penitent  of  Todi, 

Warp  and  Woof,  A  Brave  Girl, 

Zoe's  Daughter,  Story  of  Manuel. 


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